By Aideloje Ojo
Minna
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger state has called on the over 2000 communities in riverside and other flood prone areas in the state to relocate
higher planes to aviod flood disaster.
The Governor stated this in a statement issued in Minna on Friday by his Special Adviser on Communication, Media and Strategy, Honourable Jonathan Vatsa.
He emphasized the urgent need for the riverside communities to heed the Nigerian Meteorological Agency warning on imminent flooding in parts of the country including Niger state.
” It very important for communities along the riverside to as a matter of urgency adhere to the flood warnings issued by the federal government on the potential flooding in some states of the federation due to anticipated heavy downpour”, he said.
According to him, “weather forecast of widespread thunderstorm and rainfall across the country by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, has indicated that many communities across 15 states will witness flood this month. It has therefore become expedient for our people to take precautionary measures to avoid the disaster “.
He said that the Federal Ministry of Environment through the National Flood Early Warning Centre under the Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management Department has also issued warning on possible flooding of parts of Niger state adding that this cannot be ignored.
He explained that the government cannot afford to witness another catastrophic situation like the recent Mokwa flood disaster which claimed several lives and properties
According to him, Niger state is one of the most flood prouned states in the country with no year passes without one form of flood disaster or the other with attendant lose of lives.
He said, ” over 2,000 communities across 15 local government areas of the state are living by the riverside. There is therefore the need for these communities to heed to the federal government flood warning. We need to be proactive in other to avoid the Mokwa experience and that is why the state government is urging the people living by the riverside to immediately begin to relocate to a safer place”.
