By Nurat Uthman
In order to prevent another national disaster, the Federal Government has officially notified the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to take necessary actions to protect the lives and property of Nigerians from imminent floods.
This is in response to the planned opening of the Lagdo Dam floodgate by Cameroon authorities.
The notification was sent in a letter dated August 23, 2023, with Reference No: CC.16/3/11, from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (East and Central African Division) to the Director General of NEMA, Mr. Habib Mustapha Ahmed.
The letter, signed by Ambassador Umar Z. Salisu, the Director of African Affairs, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the Ministry had received a Note Verbale from the High Commission of the Republic of Cameroon.
The Note Verbale informed that the Cameroonian officials had decided to open the flood gates of the Lagdo Dam on the Benue River due to heavy rainfall in Northern Cameroon.
According to the Note, the authorities of the Lagdo Dam will only release a regulated and small amount of water at a time to mitigate and prevent damage along the River Benue basin in Cameroon and Nigeria.
In light of this information, the letter requested that NEMA take proactive measures to mitigate the damage and raise awareness among the people living in the affected areas for increased vigilance and necessary precautions.
It is worth noting that on July 25, 2023, the House of Representatives called on the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to construct Earth Dams as part of efforts to address recurrent floods that have displaced many households across the country.
The lawmakers expressed concerns regarding the warning issued by the Nigerian Metrological Agency on January 24, 2023, which predicted and cautioned about the high level of rainfall and subsequent flooding in various places.
The House also acknowledged the damage caused by the floods to people’s properties and the displacement of residents in different villages within the Gamawa Federal constituency.
“The House is also aware that the flood disaster on the Gamawa-Azare road has led to the loss of many lives due to accidents, stress, and attacks by armed robbers who capitalize on the heavy gridlocks caused by the dilapidated state of the roads to dispossess motorists of their hard-earned money, goods and valuables.
“The House believes that the Federal Government needs to employ urgent and proactive measures to mitigate flooding and fix dilapidated roads, culverts and bridges in order to curtail further disasters,” the sponsor of the motion said.
