The Christian Association of Nigeria on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to set up a Presidential Flood Relief and Rehabilitation Committee to provide succor for flood victims.
In a statement by CAN President, Daniel Okoh, the apex Christian body shared the grief of the victims of flood in several parts of the country.
Massive flooding has been experienced in many coastal and non-coastal parts of the country in the last few weeks due to excessive floods and inflow from external places like Cameroon. Over 300 people have been killed by devastating floods across Nigeria in 2022, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Hundreds of communities have been submerged in Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Kogi, Jigawa, Kano, Sokoto, amongst others with thousands of residents displaced and hectares of farmlands washed away, a development that analysts have opined could aggravate food crisis.
CAN said, “As a result of the flooding in Kogi, many travelers and traders are suffering serious collateral damages by being stranded around Lokoja and its surrounding districts, while truckers of perishable foodstuffs are on the verge of losing hundreds of millions of naira as their goods rot away even now that the nation is struggling to maintain food security. Similarly, hundreds of distributors of refined petroleum products are trapped in a heavy traffic gridlock that reportedly stretches as far as 10 kilometres.”
“Consequently, CAN urges the Federal Government to urgently set up and empower a Presidential Flood Relief and Rehabilitation Committee that will consist of eminent and wealthy Nigerians to mobilise financial assistance from both the public and private sectors for the victims of the flood disaster raging communities across the country.
“Such a presidential committee is necessary and timely at this point in our national life because the diligent intervention by all stakeholders will no doubt reduce the burden imposed by the natural disaster facing us today,” CAN added.
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The Christian body further urged authorities across all levels to make deliberate efforts by designing and implementing a permanent solution to the flood disaster.
“We must further improve on our warning system, promote flood resilient buildings, construct buildings above flood levels and increase spending on the construction of flood defences.
“Our people should be encouraged to planting of trees strategically while the authorities should stop at nothing to restore rivers to their natural courses and introducing water storage areas.
“Apart from clearing the drainage, the government should also embark on public enlightenment about the responsibilities of citizens, which could help to reduce the impact of flooding,” the statement noted
