The Managing Director of the National Hydropower Producing Areas Development Commission, Abubakar Yelwa, is calling on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on flooding in Nigeria.
This urgent appeal comes as the country continues to face widespread devastation from annual floods.
Flooding across Nigeria is wreaking havoc, particularly in communities along the plains of hydroelectric power dams.
The National Emergency Management Agency reports that over 200 lives have been lost, and more than 38,000 people have been displaced across 26 states.
While speaking to journalists at the headquarters of the commission in Minna, the Managing Director of NHYPPADEC, Abubakar Yelwa, said that 86 percent of the destruction so far has occurred in states under the commission’s coverage.
He appealed to the federal government to declare a state of emergency on flooding to mitigate against further destruction.
Yelwa’s concerns highlight the urgent need for action, as the continued destruction of infrastructure could lead to even more deaths.
In Benue about 634 communities have been affected by flood and 30,000 farmlands washed away.
With the floods showing no signs of abating, affected residents have been forced out of their homes to seek shelter in temporary facilities provided by the government and other humanitarian agencies.
