Flooding, Epidemics Threaten Citizens’ Safety, Wellbeing — Kalu

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu on Thursday said the ravaging floods which displaced millions of Nigerians and prompted outbreak of diseases such as cholera and conflicts have remained major threats to the safety and well-being of the citizens.

Kalu stated this in Abuja while delivering his address at the launch of updated 2024 countrywide risk analysis for Nigeria by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

He said findings of that analysis underscore that these critical issues remain major threats requiring actionable steps towards a safer and more resilient Nigeria.

The deputy speaker in a statement by his Special Assistant on Press Affairs, Udora Orizu, recalled that flooding displaced over 1.4 million Nigerians in 2022, causing wanton economic losses.

Kalu also reaffirmed the commitment of the 10th House of Representatives to leverage these insights for robust policymaking by exploring motions and budgetary allocations aimed at increasing funding for NEMA, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) to expand their data collection and forecasting capabilities.

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He assured that through constituency engagements, legislators can drive risk-informed programmes that address local vulnerabilities and build grassroots capacities for disaster response.

The deputy speaker urged the federal government to strengthen early warning systems by leveraging the real-time monitoring tools provided by platforms like GeoGLOWS for flood alerts.

Commending NEMA for its collaboration with stakeholders in developing this comprehensive analysis, he urged his colleagues in the National Assembly to use the insights provided in the document as a springboard for framing informed legislations, oversight actions, and strategic partnerships that safeguard lives and livelihoods.

“This landmark work is both timely and essential, particularly as we face an increasingly complex risk landscape that threatens lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure across our nation.

“The findings of this analysis underscore critical issues: flooding, and epidemics remain major threats to the safety and well-being of our citizens. In 2022, for example, flooding displaced over 1.4 million Nigerians and caused wanton economic losses.

“According to available data. Similarly, conflict and violence incidents have caused widespread displacement and exacerbated vulnerabilities in communities nationwide. Epidemics such as cholera continue to expose gaps in health infrastructure and resilience mechanisms. As the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, I reaffirm our commitment to leveraging these insights for robust policymaking.

“The legislative arm of government has a constitutional responsibility to ensure that Nigeria’s risk management strategies are backed by appropriate laws and budgets. In alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we will continue to put forward legislation prioritizing disaster risk reduction, fostering inter-agency collaboration, and ensuring equitable resource distribution to vulnerable communities,” the deputy speaker said.