Yemi Olakitan
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has disclosed that
approximately 6,000 farmers faced significant losses of seedlings and
farm produce due to flooding in Lagos in 2022.
Ibrahim Farinloye, the Coordinator of NEMA in Lagos, revealed that a
total of 16,000 families were adversely affected by the floods in the
state during the same period.
In a statement released on Saturday, Farinloye highlighted the broad
impact of the 2022 floods on various sectors of the economy. The
announcement was made in the context of the NEMA/World Bank initiative
focusing on strengthening resilience and drawing lessons from the 2022
flood disaster.
The Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, emphasized the
significance of reevaluating efforts in response to flooding
incidents. He stressed the need to identify and address gaps to ensure
an effective and efficient response in the future.
Ahmed stated, “The flooding of 2022 impacted about 16,000 families,
while 6,000 farmers lost seedlings and farm produce.” He further
highlighted NEMA’s directive to its Lagos Territorial Office and other
field offices to mitigate losses and strengthen the resilience of
Nigerians for the 2023 rainy season.
The statement pointed out that due to the measures taken in response
to the 2022 flooding, there was a significant reduction in losses
during the 2023 rainy season, despite a doubling of rainfall.
NEMA expressed gratitude to the Lagos State government for the
collaborative synergy and partnership extended to the agency in
addressing the challenges posed by the flooding incidents.