President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians of preventive measures as many communities continue to reel under floods across the federation.
President Buhari said the situation is under continuous monitoring and the government at the centre will keep sending teams to assess the situation and to render all necessary help.
The President extended heartfelt condolences on behalf of the nation to communities in towns and villages, many of whom have lost dear relatives, suffered extensive damage to property, and endured the destruction of crops and farm lands.
He expressed his concerns over the hardships being faced by people due to this natural calamity.
The President noted that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had written to each of the 36 states of the federation through the respective Governors, advising on the appropriate action to take in view of the gloomy forecasts of the rains this year.
Response Mechanism
President Buhari said; “there are various stages to follow in addressing the problem, as all tiers of government have a role to play.
“The structure of the response mechanism on this issue is clear: the government at the centre should step in to directly address national-level emergencies and the local government councils and the states are the first responders in all situations.
“Calls for the Nigerian government to respond to all outbreaks of natural disaster do not just display an understanding of Nigerian law.
“While not a national-level emergency, the ongoing flooding is an emergency nevertheless.”
He said; “Nigerian lives and property are at stake. We call on Governors of those states that have swung into action and engaged the necessary gear to continue with their efforts, and those that have not, to immediately face their duties of managing flooding within their jurisdictions – that is, the job that the President, Governors and council Chairmen have been elected to do.
“Each of the three tiers, the local government, the state government and the Nigerian government has a sizeable budget at its disposal, allocated monthly precisely for dealing with these state-level natural emergencies as well as federal agencies dedicated to doing the same.”
“It is not clear why some of the state governments in question are not already drawing upon those funds to tackle the current emergency, and the general population is misguidedly calling on the Nigerian government to intervene in all situations. If those monies are, for whatever reason, no longer available, the affected states and local councils must immediately contact the relevant authorities to explain what has happened with those funds,” President Buhari explained.
He emphasised that there are special allocations for handling ecological matters.
The President said; “Under the prevailing revenue allocation formula, 2.32% of derivation funds is set aside for ecology and disaster management.
“Of this amount, the 36 states and the FCT get 0.72%, the 774 local governments get 0.6%, adding to 1.32%, leaving a balance of one percent to the government of the federation.
“By the law of land, NEMA takes 20% of the amount allocated to the Nigerian Government. The North East Development Commission, NEDC collects 10% , the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA 10%, and the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, GGW 0.5%, leaving 0.55 of the one percent to the government at the center for ecological protection and disaster management.”
The President commended the few states that are up in front, doing a yeoman’s effort to avert disasters and manage the same where they occur.e
He gave the nation assurances that the Nigerian government would continue to work closely with the state governments to provide all possible assistance to overcome this challenge.
The President added that ” it must be seen as a shared responsibility. The response to emergencies must stand on the three-legged structure.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
