President Muhammadu Buhari assures that the situation is being continuously monitored and that the central government will keep dispatching teams to assess the situation in order to provide all necessary assistance as numerous communities continue to struggle with floods throughout the entire federation.
The President offers the nation’s deepest sympathies to the towns and villages, many of which have lost cherished family members, sustained significant property damage, and experienced the loss of crops and farmland.
The President noted that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had written to each of the 36 states of the federation through their respective Governors, advising on the appropriate action to take in light of the ominous forecasts for the rains this year, while also expressing his concerns about the hardships being experienced by people as a result of this natural calamity.
The structure of the response system on this matter is very clear: local government councils and the states are always the first responders, and the central government should intervene to deal with crises on a national scale.
Calls for the federal government to react to every natural catastrophe outbreaks go beyond just demonstrating knowledge of Nigerian law.
The continuous flooding constitutes an emergency even if it is not a national emergency. There is a risk to property and life in Nigeria.
We urge the governors of the states that have already acted and put the necessary measures in place to keep up the good work, and we urge the governors of the states that have not yet done so to get started on managing the flooding in their areas, which is the duty that the President, governors, and council chairmen have been elected to carry out.
Each of the three levels of government—local, state, and federal—has a sizable budget at its disposal that is specifically allotted each month to handle these state-level natural calamities. There are also federal agencies devoted to handling the same.
The public is misguidedly calling for the federal government to become involved in every issue, and it is unclear why some of the state governments in question haven’t already used those money to address the present catastrophe.
The affected states and local councils must promptly get in touch with the relevant authorities to explain what happened to those monies if they are, for whatever reason, no longer accessible.
According to the current income distribution model, 2.32 percent of derivation revenues are designated for environmental protection and disaster relief.
The 36 states and the FCT each get 0.72 percent of this sum, and the 774 local governments each receive 0.6 percent, for a total of 1.32 percent, with the remaining one percent going to the federal government.
According to land law, NEMA is entitled to 20% of the funds allotted to the Federal Government.
The National Agency for the Great Green Wall, GGW, collects 0.5 percent, leaving 0.55 of one percent for the government’s use at the centre for ecological protection and disaster management.
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, collects 0.5 percent.
The President applauds the few governments that are leading the charge and exerting heroic effort to prevent catastrophes and manage them when they do occur.
While the President assures the people that the federal government will continue to collaborate closely with state governments to provide all support necessary to solve this difficulty, he also anticipates that it must be recognised as a shared duty. The three-legged structure must support the emergency reaction.
Due to climate change, there are now widespread instances of flooding, droughts that occur out of season, and unpredictable weather patterns. No one now contests its negative impacts around the globe.
The President of Nigeria’s initiatives have received praise both in Africa and beyond. Politicians should take the time to ask the Ministries and state governments what actions are being done in the face of these issues rather than making headline-grabbing demands.