30 states face risk of flooding, Saraki warns

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has called on states
across the Federation to take proactive measures to mitigate
against flooding.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki stated that recent reports show
that as many as 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states face the risk of flooding
due to inadequate town-planning, construction oversights and
obstructed drainage systems.

“We have to take this issue of flooding very seriously. God has
blessed Nigeria in so many ways. We are not like many other nations
that experience cataclysmic natural disasters that leave
considerable destruction,” he said.

“This issue of flooding is something that with proper planning
and proactive steps, we can minimize and mitigate against the loss
of lives and damage to property. What we need to do is for all
stakeholders, by this I mean governments across all levels, town
planning councils and our emergency management agencies to meet to
discuss how we can put in place long-term strategies to stop these
floods so that we can end this fire-brigade approach of dealing
with crisis situation,” he added.

The senate president also listed some immediate steps that
states across the Federation need to take to reduce flooding.

He said: “Our state governments need to work with town-planners
to identify areas that are at risk for flooding. Additionally, we
need to immediately put in place both sensitization and punitive
measures to ensure that people are not blocking our drainage
systems. When these drainage systems are blocked, especially in
urban centers, the water begins to accumulate during heavy
rains.

Saraki called for a comprehensive re-evaluation of the nation’s
dams while adding that this re-evaluation by experts would allow
the country to know which of our dams, specifically those that are
located close to residential areas are channeling water into
towns.

“Right now, we cannot leave any stone unturned,” he said, “We
must immediately look into our own man-made structures. We have to
identify which of our dams and other infrastructure are
contributing to the frequency of flood and work out strategies to
tone down their negative impact.

“The senate, through our oversight powers, will continue to work
to ensure that our town planning laws are updated, and we will
continue to support the executive in every way possible to enforce
the codes and ensure that states that are at risk do not turn into
disaster zones,” Saraki stated.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has called on states
across the Federation to take proactive measures to mitigate
against flooding.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and
Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki stated that recent reports show
that as many as 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states face the risk of flooding
due to inadequate town-planning, construction oversights and
obstructed drainage systems.

“We have to take this issue of flooding very seriously. God has
blessed Nigeria in so many ways. We are not like many other nations
that experience cataclysmic natural disasters that leave
considerable destruction,” he said.

“This issue of flooding is something that with proper planning
and proactive steps, we can minimize and mitigate against the loss
of lives and damage to property. What we need to do is for all
stakeholders, by this I mean governments across all levels, town
planning councils and our emergency management agencies to meet to
discuss how we can put in place long-term strategies to stop these
floods so that we can end this fire-brigade approach of dealing
with crisis situation,” he added.

The senate president also listed some immediate steps that
states across the Federation need to take to reduce flooding.

He said: “Our state governments need to work with town-planners
to identify areas that are at risk for flooding. Additionally, we
need to immediately put in place both sensitization and punitive
measures to ensure that people are not blocking our drainage
systems. When these drainage systems are blocked, especially in
urban centers, the water begins to accumulate during heavy
rains.

Saraki called for a comprehensive re-evaluation of the nation’s
dams while adding that this re-evaluation by experts would allow
the country to know which of our dams, specifically those that are
located close to residential areas are channeling water into
towns.

“Right now, we cannot leave any stone unturned,” he said, “We
must immediately look into our own man-made structures. We have to
identify which of our dams and other infrastructure are
contributing to the frequency of flood and work out strategies to
tone down their negative impact.

“The senate, through our oversight powers, will continue to work
to ensure that our town planning laws are updated, and we will
continue to support the executive in every way possible to enforce
the codes and ensure that states that are at risk do not turn into
disaster zones,” Saraki stated.