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By Our Reporter, Lafia
National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged riverine communities in Nasarawa State along the fringes of River Benue to relocate to high grounds to avert the devastating effects of flooding.
Mallam Lanre Onilu, NOA Director General appealed the Media and Stakeholders Engagement on the “Flood Safety Alert” organised by the Agency, held in Lafia.
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.
Mallam Onilu, represented by Director, Planning, Research and Strategy, Alh. Yusuf Kobi explained that the stakeholders’ engagement aimed at intensifying sensitisation for 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 flood safety alert campaigns by our various offices in the 11 flood frontline states across the country, Nasarawa state is one of them.
“We started with Kogi State, followed by Edo, Anambra, Benue and here we are in Nasarawa today, the same campaign is going on in Rivers, Cross River, Adamawa, and Taraba states respectively.
“We are sensitising the riverine communities to be up and doing, we should not allow what happened in 2012 and 2022 to happen again, where many lives were lost, thousands of houses were submerged,” he said.
The NOA DG, while appreciating the support of the stakeholders, called for a robust collaboration with the traditional rulers, especially the media to amplify the message to get to the people to save lives and property.
“I want to encourage our officers nationwide to take people’s response on issues, especially flood to enable us to to submit a comprehensive report to the Government to mitigate impacts of flooding,” said.
Also speaking, Dr Priscilla Gondoaluor, Director NOA, Nasarawa State said the state in the last 3 years had experienced flooding from heavy rainfalls and Lagdo Dam waters that resulted in the loss of lives and property worth millions of Naira.
She appealed to flood- prone communities to take precautionary measures such as evacuation, cleaning of drains, building flood defence barriers and stockpile essential supplies like foods, water, and first aid kits at easily accessible location.
“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. We will embark on advocacy on traditional and religious leaders,” she said
On his part, Aren Koron Kuje, Mr Sunday Namo, said giving the devasting effects of flooding, the traditional rulers in the state decided to create awareness in their domains to educate subjects to move from the valley to high grounds.
The traditional ruler, while commending NOA for the initiative, said it would add more 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 their subjects on issues of great importance as this flood safety alert,” he said.
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