NEMA Attributes Flood in Nigeria to Climate Change

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has attributed the recent flood disaster witnessed in many parts of the country to climate change. The Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani-Sidi disclosed this at the just concluded 18th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Doha, Qatar.

Speaking at the event, Sani-Sidi stated that climatic conditions involving drastic change in weather patterns has contributed to the massive flooding which were witnessed in most states in Nigeria, where lives were lost and sources of livelihood worth billions of naira were destroyed.

In his words, “We are now living witnesses to the reality of climate change and global warming where areas considered as dry land in the northern parts of the country have witnessed excessive and torrential rainfall, while some communities in the south have also been submerged.”

Sani-Sidi revealed that NEMA has received tremendous support from all stakeholders during the recent flooding in many parts of the country, saying it was the first time that the agency has received good collaboration from stakeholders during emergency response periods. He further explained that the law which establishes NEMA requires the operation of state and local government emergency management agencies and regretted that many states do not have functional and effective institutional frameworks to manage disasters. >> DailyTimes