The incessant and disastrous flood incidence in some parts of the country is on the increase as the federal government recently revealed a death toll of 500 persons, 45,249 destroyed houses and 70,566 hectares of farmland damaged in the last few weeks. This figure was disclosed at a conference in Abuja organized by the federal government, which had in attendance all relevant agencies and concerned stakeholders in charge of tackling the unfortunate disaster. Speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sani Gwarzo, while releasing the latest statistics to newsmen, noted that the government was effortlessly working to combat the situation, adding that NEMA has provided relief materials to over 315,000 displaced persons affected by the flood disaster. In his words, “The National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed that as of October 9, 2022, water levels at Lokoja and Makurdi along the River Niger and Benue is 11 per cent above the level recorded in 2012. “So far, the flood has wreaked havoc in 31 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Over 500 persons are reported dead; 1,411,051 affected; 790,254 displaced persons with 1,546 persons injured. “Aside from that, 44,099 houses are partially damaged; 45,249 houses totally damaged; 76,168 hectares of farmland partially damaged, and 70,566 hectares of farmland completely destroyed by the great deluge.” On his part, the Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Yahaya Bello, revealed that nine areas along the Niger and Benue Rivers were affected. However, he assured his support to victims affected by the flood. “Ibaji is almost 100 per cent underwater while the rest range from 30 per cent up. We, therefore, have a serious and humanitarian tragedy on our hands, but I wish to assure every person, family, and community which has been affected that they are not alone and that help is coming,” he noted. Recall that Nigeria reported that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar, urged Nigerians not to panic over food security issues, claiming that the federal government is doing everything necessary to ensure food security and a climate-smart system in Nigeria. Meanwhile, NigeriaFarming has gathered that the situation is expected to have an impact on rice prices in December, as Olam Nigeria Limited, one of Nigeria’s largest agri-business enterprises, stated that the enormous flooding from River Benue destroyed the company’s crops and infrastructure. According to Ade Adefeko, Vice-President of Olam Nigeria Limited, the incident affected the company’s $20 million investment and approximately 25% of Nigeria’s rice needs, describing the situation as “extremely bad.” “The entire team fought extremely hard to prevent the huge damage, but it damaged us greatly.” We supply around 25% of Nigeria’s rice needs and have lost over $20 million as a result,” he said.
