By Aaron Ossai
Ravaging flood which has so far displaced millions of Nigerians and prompted outbreak of diseases such as cholera, conflicts have remained major threats to the safety and well-being of Nigerians, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu has said.
He stated this in Abuja while delivering and address at the launch of updated 2024 countrywide risk analysis for Nigeria by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) saying that findings of the analysis underscore that “these critical issues remain major threats hence actionable steps are required towards a safer and more resilient Nigeria.”
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Press Affairs, Udora Orizu, Hon. Kalu recalled that in 2022 flooding displaced over 1.4 million Nigerians and caused wanton economic losses.
Speaking further, he reaffirmed the commitment of the 10th House of Representatives to leverage these insights for robust policymaking, exploring motions and budgetary allocations aimed at increasing funding for NEMA, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to expand their data collection and forecasting capabilities.
He assured that through constituency engagements, legislators can drive risk-informed programs that address local vulnerabilities and build grassroots capacities for disaster response.
He urged the Federal government to strengthen early warning systems by leveraging the real-time monitoring tools provided by platforms like GeoGLOWS for flood alerts.
“Tools like these, he opined, should be codified into the national disaster response framework”, he remarked.
Commending NEMA for its outstanding collaboration with stakeholders in developing this comprehensive analysis, he urged his colleagues in the National Assembly to use the insights provided in this document as a springboard for framing informed legislations, oversight actions, and strategic partnerships that safeguard lives and livelihoods.
“It is with a deep sense of national duty that I address this nationally important gathering at the launch of the updated 2024 Countrywide Risk Analysis for Nigeria. This landmark work is both timely and essential, particularly as we face an increasingly complex risk landscape that threatens lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure across our nation. The findings of this analysis underscore critical issues; flooding, and epidemics remain major threats to the safety and well-being of our citizens. In 2022, for example, flooding displaced over 1.4 million Nigerians and caused wanton economic losses.
“According to available data, conflict and violence incidents have caused widespread displacement and exacerbated vulnerabilities in communities nationwide. Epidemics such as cholera continue to expose gaps in health infrastructure and resilience mechanisms”, he added.
