Muhammadu Mohammed, Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has expressed concern over continuous flood in the country, which is threatening food security.
He made this known while addressing stakeholders at a flood advocacy visit to Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Thursday.
According to him, the meeting was necessary to ascertain the level of preparedness of the state to disaster management.
Represented by Abdulahi Usur, Assistant director, Research and Forecasting of the agency, Mohammed said the annual occurrences of flood have continued to threaten the country’s food potentials.
“We are here on an advocacy visit on the 2020 flood. Kaduna State is known to be one of the major food producers in the country with the citizens largely
engaged in farming activities. This year, the highly probable flood risk areas in Kaduna State are Soba, Kubau, Jema’a, Kachia, Igabi, Kaduna South, Kaduna North and Chikun local government areas. Though climate change has been largely blamed for this increasing phenomenon, it is our responsibility as government and people to evolve strategies to minimize losses through adherence to warning alerts, early preparation and proper responses. Therefore, it is imperative to activate all plans and measures against the prediction as the season moves towards the peak”.
In his remarks, Abani Garki, NEMA North West Coordinator, welcomed the new Executive Secrerary of SEMA on board, while assuring him of NEMA’s continious support.
He said the agency had made preparations ahead of flooding this year, which included sensitization of its stakeholders.
Sunday Awulu, State Secretary Nigerian Red Cross, Kaduna, assured the DG that stakeholders would not work in isolation, but as a team to tackle disasters.
He commended the meeting saying “meetings like this bring stakeholders together, help them to know each other better to further collaborate”.
Present at the meeting were officials of Federal Fire Service, Red Cross, NSCDC, Police, SEMA, Army, National Orientation Agency (NOA), NIWA, FRSC, KEPA, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and CSOs.
