National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged riverine communities in Nasarawa State on the fringes of River Benue to relocate to higher grounds in view of the impending flood.
Mallam Lanre Onilu, Director – General of NOA, made the appeal during a media and stakeholders engagement on “Flood Safety Alert” on Sunday (today, September 29), in Lafia. the Nasarawa State capital.
According to him, the appeal to the riverine communities to move to high grounds became necessary considering the rising water level in River Benue due to the release of waters from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
Onilu, represented by Director, Planning, Research and Strategy, Alh. Yusuf Kobi, explained that the stakeholders engagement was aimed at intensifying sensitisation of the flood frontline States to take precautionary measures to avert loss of lives and property in the event of flooding.
“We are here to monitor the flood safety alert campaign by our various offices in the 11 flood frontline states across the country, of which Nasarawa state is one.
“We started with Kogi, followed by Edo, Anambra, Benue and here we are in Nasarawa today, the same campaign is ongoing in Rivers, Cross River, Adamawa and Taraba States respectively.
“We are sensitising the riverine communities to be proactive, we should not allow what happened in 2012 and 2022 to happen again, where many lives were lost and thousands of houses were submerged,” he said.
The Director-General, while appreciating the support of the stakeholders, called for collaboration with the traditional rulers and the media to amplify the message in order to save lives and property.
“I want to encourage our officers nationwide to take people’s response on issues, especially floods, to enable us to submit a comprehensive report to the government to mitigate impacts of flooding,” he said.
Also speaking, Dr Priscilla Gondoaluor, Director NOA, Nasarawa State, said the State has experienced its share of flood disasters in the last three years with attendant loss of lives and property, and would not want to experience it again.
She appealed to flood- prone communities to take precautionary measures such as evacuation, cleaning of drains, building of flood defence barriers, as well as stockpiling essential supplies like foods, water, and first aid kits at easily accessible locations.
“All our offices in the 13 LGAs are already out, particularly in the flood prone areas, creating awareness. Our jingles in English and in indigenous languages are already on air,” she disclosed.
“We are also embarking on advocacy visits to traditional and religious leaders.”
On his part, a traditional ruler, Mr Sunday Namo, the Aren Koron Kuje, said that given the devastating effects of flooding, the traditional rulers in the State have taken it upon themselves to create awareness and educate their subjects on the imperative of relocating from valleys to high grounds.
Namo commended NOA for the initiative,saying it would add impetus to the flood awareness already started by the traditional rulers in the state.
“It’s indeed one of the cardinal objectives of the traditional rulers in the state to sensitise and educate our subjects on issues of great importance as this flood safety alert,” he said.
