The challenge of flooding that plagued most states in Nigeria in 2022 instantly national concern. Numerous citizens were recorded victims of displacement as houses be submerged. Though a major prevailing concern, lives and properties were threatened by the flooding that spread across most states like wildfire. Reports indicated that this flooding was caused by heavy rainfall and the release of excess water from the Cameroonian dam, which led to a rampage that threatened the lives and properties of millions of Nigerians. In fact, The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib stated that this flooding was the worst in the country’s entire history. A similar occurrence was experienced in 2012, where Nigeria reportedly lost N2.6 trillion in revenue, with millions of people displaced, and an estimated 600,000 houses destroyed and another 363 people killed.
On the effect of the flood, the federal government recently disclosed that the country had lost over $6,681 billion as a result of the 2022 flood. The government also announced that the flood had immensely affected the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory. States like Jigawa, Rivers, Delta, Cross River and Bayelsa were mostly impacted. The federal government also noted its technological deployment was aimed at assessing the impact of the flooding, rather than depending on the results of the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) which would have taken quite longer to conduct.
At least 2% of the country’s population, direct victims of the flood.
Sadiya Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development noted announced this during a presentation of the Global Rapid Post Disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE) 2022 report on the flooding. She further explained that the Great Nite objective was designed by the World Banks Disaster-Resilience Analytics and Solutions team to provide an accurate assessment of the impact of the June-November flooding on the country’s economy. The minister also hinted at the government’s plan to compensate victims of the flood, whose houses and farmlands had been submerged. Per survey, she pointed that the number of victims affected by this flood was worse than the 2012 flood issue.
According to the estimates of the statistical analysis , the total direct economic damages was within the range of $3.97 billion and $9.12 billion. This, as noted included damages to residential and non-residential buildings, damages to infrastructure, productive sectors and crop lands. The minister continued by noting that the number of victims were at least, 2 percent of the entire country’s population, as approximately 4.4 million and 4.9 million. Sadiya again noted that numerous states witnessed destroyed and damaged buildings.
Federal government put in place relief materials for flood victims.
She again disclosed that there was also a huge damages to the infrastructure such as irrigation, roads and rivers infrastructure, the WASH and electricity infrastructure also expected about $1.23 billion. The damages to crops, fisheries and livestock were also really severe. The minister disclosed that about 600,000 crop hectares were lost as a result of the submerge and reports also now expect an increase in the number of lost hectares. The median estimate of these damages was also around $1.837 billion.
On the efforts designed to cushion the effects of the flooding, the minister pointed out that the government provided relief materials that were sent to victims of the flooding. Additionally, she stated that the abridged version of the GRADE report was submitted to the the president, which heralded the emergency intervention and livelihood programme for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). She disclosed that NEMA was able to reach about 315,000 displaced victims with relief materials across the country.
MDAs urged to utilize report in ameliorating traumas of flood victims.
The minister again indicated that the assessment was a necessary measure that had been submitted to President Buhari. She disclosed that upon the submission of the report, a presidential committee was immediately set up, chaired by the Jigawa State Governor. On the submerged infrastructure, she further stated that the ministry was working to reach out to victims, especially the ones whose farmland were submerged. On meeting with the government of Cameroon about the release of water from Ladgo Dam, the minister stated that the experienced flooding was unprecedented and had little to do with the dam. She however urged the necessary MDAs in the country to utilize the report in ameliorating the traumas of victims of the 2022 flood.
Related Link
FloodList: Website
