The Federal government has announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved innovative measures to prevent potential flooding disasters in the country.
The vice president, Kashim Shettima made this known during a workshop held at the National Counter-Terrorism Center in the Office of the National Security Adviser, Abuja on Wednesday.
The workshop, organized by the federal government was aimed at strengthening the cordination and monitoring of flooding risk.
Shettima said, “The President has directed relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to collaborate and develop strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of flooding. Hence, Tinubu is encouraging strong collaborations, combining technical expertise, financial resources, and operational capacity both within the government and with the nation’s development partners to address the impending flood crisis.”
“President Tinubu is an asset to the nation. What he needs at this stage is our collective support to take the country to the promised land. The armed forces are working round to tackling our security challenges but they cannot do alone without our support The validation workshop for Nigeria’s Anticipatory Action Framework is not merely a gathering of technical minds and policy actors, it is a wake-up call, a call to reflect on how we protect our people, preserve livelihoods, and secure our shared future.
Flood destroys 450,000 hectares of farmland
“Last year alone, floods affected over five million people. They displaced 2.3 million Nigerians, destroyed more than 450,000 hectares of farmland, and forced 1.2 million children out of school. This is not some scenario for an academic exercise. This was our reality. The victims represent all of us, our future, and a national economy under immense strain.
“This late arrival of support costs more and saves fewer lives. The economic impact is no less staggering. We lose close to 5 per cent of our GDP every year to reactive disaster responses. This approach is not only unsustainable, it is also deeply unjust to the most vulnerable among us; hands must be on deck to combat the menace.
“This is why we must act before disasters unfold. Studies have shown that anticipatory action can reduce losses by up to 60 per cent. It is hope. That is not just a statistic. It is the future of millions salvaged before ruin. It is the logic behind this shift, championed by our administration under the reassuring leadership of President Bola Tinubu.”
In view of this, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu also spoke on the significance of the workshop. He said that the taskforce has been established and are working relentlessly in producing a framework that aims to enhance risk monitoring and unite the coordination of Anticipatory Action Response across the country to achieve the desired result.
He also highlighted the importance of early warning system and swift response in reducing the adverse effect of flooding on citizens.
