By Abdullahi Lukman
One person has died and over 300 farmlands have been destroyed following a flood disaster in three local government areas of Nasarawa State.
The Director-General of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA), Mr. Benjamin Akwash, confirmed this during a press briefing in Lafia after an on-site assessment of the affected communities in Doma, Nasarawa, and Kokona LGAs.
Akwash described the incident as a major blow to the state’s efforts toward food security, noting that hundreds of hectares of farmland and crops were completely washed away.
He stated that while the government is preparing to distribute food and non-food relief materials to victims, a more sustainable approach to flood management is being developed to shift focus from post-disaster aid to prevention.
The NASEMA boss also raised concerns over the refusal of many residents in flood-prone areas to relocate despite repeated warnings and sensitisation campaigns.
“People prefer to remain on their ancestral lands, which puts their lives at risk. This is unacceptable,” Akwash said.
As the rainy season peaks, he urged communities in high-risk riverine areas, particularly in Doma, Nasarawa, Toto, Awe, and Kokona LGAs, to move to safer grounds to prevent further loss of lives and property.
