In order to avoid a catastrophic flood, the government of Niger State has ordered all communities in flood-prone areas to evacuate to higher ground without delay.
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The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had earlier predicted three days of rain and thunderstorms across the nation.
Jonathan Vatsa, the state government’s special adviser on communication, media, and strategy to Governor Mohammed Umar Bago, issued a statement in Minna urging people residing along riverbanks to evacuate immediately in order to prevent a potential disaster.
He elaborated by saying that the government just cannot afford another Mokwa flood, which killed over 200 people and destroyed millions of naira’s worth of property not long ago.
Over 2,000 communities in 15 LGAs of Niger State are located along rivers, making the state vulnerable to flooding. To prevent another Mokwa, the state government is urging riverside residents to start making plans to leave their homes as soon as possible. According to the statement, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s warning should not be ignored.
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“They can go back after the rainy season.” The administration emphasised that it will shortly launch a statewide awareness and sensitisation campaign to teach people why it’s important to temporarily leave their ancestral houses before the rainy season.
In addition, the statement urged religious leaders, community elders, and traditional rulers to work with the government to raise awareness among their people about the need of listening to flood warnings and taking appropriate measures.
Early morning thunderstorms are anticipated in northern states, including Kaduna, Adamawa, and Taraba, according to NiMet’s three-day weather outlook released in Abuja. The warning went on to say that states in the north, including Borno, Zamfara, Bauchi, Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Katsina, the Federal Capital Territory, Niger, Kwara, Plateau, Kogi, Benue, and Nasarawa, could be hit hard by storms and higher rainfall.
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