Torrential rainfall and flooding has affected over 4000 households in two towns in Yobe State.
A statement signed by the NEMA spokesperson, Yushau A. Shuaib, and made available to LEADERSHIP, stated that, a team of experts from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) at the weekend was in Nguru and Gashua Local Governments in Yobe State to assess damages caused by heavy rainfall that rendered residents homeless and destroyed farmlands.
While inspecting the areas, the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani-Sidi told the traditional rulers to brace up to climatic challenges and mobilise their people to take proactive measures against future recurrence of the calamity.
Sani-Sidi said: “we are now living witnesses to the reality of climate change and global warming where areas considered as dry savannah are daily witnessing excessive torrential rainfall.
What this portends is that we have to face the challenges by educating our people on the best approach to manage and mitigate negative incidence from the natural phenomena.”
“Here is a state that is in the dry savanna belt, dry and hot for most of the year and bordering Sahelian region yet experiencing heavy rainfall than in some southern parts of the country”. He said that climate change remains a serious environmental issue this year in Nigeria from the North to the West and South to East where heavy rainfall is causing havoc everywhere.
“The inevitability of changes occurring due to the climate change is now a well-established reality. Scientific evidence has shown that as a result of climate change, extreme weather events like floods, windstorms, droughts and epidemics have become more frequent and severe.
They occur in areas where they were previously either unknown or extremely rare. For us in developing world, climate change portends greater danger.”
“Virtually all states in Nigeria are grappling with flood. This is a clear reminder that we can no longer ignore disaster risks. Disasters constitute the greatest threat to development and socio-economic wellbeing of the people. We must all be prepared for it.”
While welcoming the delegation the Emir of Nguru, Mai Mustafha Ibn Jari and Emir of Gashua Alhaji Abubakar Umar Suleman, stated that the torrential rain in the areas was unprecedented adding that a number of death was recorded.
SOURCE: 3 September 2012.
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