Communities in flood-prone areas are being instructed by the Niger State Government to migrate to higher land quickly in order to prevent a flood calamity.
This comes after the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) predicted thunderstorms and rains for the entire country over the course of three days.
State government spokesman Jonathan Vatsa issued a statement in Minna urging people residing along riverbanks to evacuate immediately in order to prevent a potential disaster. Vatsa serves as special adviser to Governor Mohammed Umar Bago on matters of communication, media, and strategy.
He went on to say that the catastrophe in Mokwa, which killed more than 200 people and destroyed property valued in the millions of naira, is something the government just cannot afford to happen again.
According to the state government, residents of Niger State should start making plans to leave their riverside homes as soon as possible in order to avoid another Mokwa-style flood. More than 2,000 communities in 15 LGAs are located in flood-prone areas of the state. The statement emphasised that the warning from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency should not be ignored.
With the upcoming rainy season quickly approaching, the government has announced plans to launch a statewide awareness and sensitisation campaign to inform the public about the significance of temporarily removing themselves from their ancestral homes. The campaign would emphasise that “they can go back after the rainy season.”
The message went on to ask religious leaders, community chiefs, and traditional authorities to help the government get the word out about flood warnings and the importance of taking all required measures.
Northern states, such as Adamawa, Kaduna, and Taraba, should anticipate thunderstorms in the early morning, according to NiMet’s three-day weather outlook that was announced in Abuja. Additional northern areas, including Borno, Zamfara, Bauchi, Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Katsina, Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Kogi, Benue, and Nasarawa states, might be hit by heavy rainfall and storms, according to the statement.