By Ahmad Deedat Zakari
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned Nigerians to prepare for flooding in the country.
The Director-General, NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, disclosed this at the National Emergency Coordination Forum Meeting in Abuja on Saturday.
The agency disclosed that 13 states might be affected by the scheduled release of waters from Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroon.
The agency has also disclosed that over 28 people have been killed, 48,168 individuals displaced, and 159,157 persons affected by flooding in Nigeria this year.
Ahmed further stated that there has been an upsurge of water along the flood plains of the River Benue, which he said will greatly affect states like Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Delta, Edo, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Delta, Rivers, Nasarawa, and Bayelsa.
He added that there has been a sudden increased inundation of riparian communities and farmlands along the banks of River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba and Benue states in the past 48 hours.
Ahmed further stated that the agency has directed the activation of all emergency response units to be ready for any emergencies as the flooding will be increasing as the days go by.
“As a result of the unfolding situation, I want to use this opportunity to alert authorities of State and Local Governments along rivers Niger and Benue basin areas to immediately activate their emergency response plans to avert potential damage and losses that will arise due to inundation of communities by flood waters,” he added.