FG partners stakeholders‘ on flood disaster -Minister

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Federal Government has extended a call to stakeholders across to country to partner in areas of flood disaster.
The federal government said partnering stakeholders could help address address flood disasters cross the country.
Minister of Environment Dr. Muhammad Abubakar made the disclosure at the 14th NESREA National Stakeholders’ Forum with the theme: Flood Disaster”An Imperatives for Environmental Governance”, which was held yesterday in Abuja both physically and virtually.
Abubakar said the federal government is very concerned and serious about ways to curb menace of flooding in Nigeria, saying it has affected and destroyed “our properties,taken lives of our citizens and has brought agricultural setback.
“Like this year a lot of people have lost their farm land, crops in Kebbi, Jigawa among other states”.
Declaring the Forum opened, the minister said the theme of this year’s forum Flood Disaster: ”An Imperatives for Environmental Governance”, is apt looking at the principal objective to create an occasion for deliberating on the importance of curbing the menace association of flood disaster in Nigeria.
He revealed that, there is a memo that his ministry will be presenting to the economic council chaired by Vice President which will be focusing on finding perfect ways to control and mitigate flooding in Nigeria and proffer extensive solutions .
He said “NESREA is the enforcement arm of my ministry that is ever ready to confront the menace of flooding through the enforcement of preventive measure.
“I call for the cooperation of all stakeholders especially the MDAs to stand along with NESREA in this important duty of preventing the cases of flooding in Nigeria”, Dr.Abubakar stated.
Speaking earlier in his welcome address, the Director General/CEO NESREA Prof. Aliyu Jauro said the year’s forum seeks to engage relevant stakeholders on specific environmental issues.
“Over time the issues of flooding has plagued us as a nation and almost all the sectors of our existence have been disastrously affected”.
Jauro said his agency is well positioned and equipped by its establishment Act to help control flooding in Nigeria.
He explained that,the objectives of the stakeholders meeting includes :re-awakening the consciousness of the regulated community on the effort being made to avert flooding.