Following NiMET prediction of another round of heavy flooding this year, the management of Federal University, Lokoja recently organised first International Conference on Flood Mitigation to avert loss of lives and other valuables.
The conference with the Theme: “Flood and Sustainable Development” is in collaboration with the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPDEC), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) and Kogi State Ministry of Environment.
Declaring the conference open, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Professor Olayemi Akinwumi commended Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, HYPPDEC and other natural disaster management agencies for their untiring efforts in mitigating the impact of the havoc on citizens.
According to the Vice Chancellor, “The conference is aimed at highlighting the critical issue that threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions of people living in the Niger-Benue trough extending to the coastal region of Nigeria.
“The Niger-Benue trough, which spans across several states of Nigeria, has experienced devastating floods that have caused loss of lives and destruction of properties as witnessed in the year 2012 and 2022. As university, we think it is necessary and crucial to come together and discuss the causes, effects and solutions to this recurring natural disaster.
“I believe that through this conference, we will gain a better understanding of the ecological and environmental factors that contribute to floods in the Niger-Benue trough. We also hope to study how human actions inadvertently or directly cause these floods and how we put measures in place to ensure that they do not happen in the future.”
The Managing Directors/Chief Executive Officers of NIWA, NIHSA and HYPPDEC, Dr. George Moghalu, Engr. Clement Ezeh and Alhaji Abubakar Yelwa in their separate speeches, attributed the cause of flooding to climate change, deforestation, blockade of waterways and heavy downpour among others.
They lamented that about two billion, one hundred people have been affected globally by flooding, according to available statistics.
They also recalled that in 2022, twenty-four states out of the 36 states in Nigeria, 6.12 million people were killed.
“Flooding apart from loss of lives has caused lots of damage to our economic and environment ranging from loss of lives, destruction of agricultural crops and other valuable properties.
“Government at all levels should embark on construction of more dams, drainages, sensitisation of citizens on how to overcome the menace as well as the dredging of Rivers Niger and Benue among others to avert the havoc.”
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State who was represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Victor Omofaiye at the event, affirmed that the present administration in the state has lived up to its responsibility in mitigating the effects of flooding.
“We as government have continued to sensitise citizens on early warning to avert flood disaster, have constructed drainages across the state to reduce intensity of flood, have constructed embarkment and canals along riverine zones, built IDP camps for flood victims.”
Bello, therefore, warned citizens against building houses in flood prone locations for safety.
