President Muhammadu Buhari has said based on regular updates on the flood situation in the country, over 500,000 Nigerians have been affected since January this year.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, who said the Nigerian leader had extended his condolences to the families affected by the recent flooding across the country.
He said the president pledged that the federal government would continue to provide the needed emergency assistance to individuals and communities impacted by the disaster.
Buhari appealed to other public-spirited individuals and organisations to support the victims.
The president reiterated that the tragic events had brought to fore the need for states and local governments to step up their level of preparedness in handling emergencies, which remains a shared responsibility with the government at the centre.
Buhari affirmed that the federal government would continue to monitor the situation to work more with states and the affected communities to reduce the impact of the disaster, provide resources and improve response and recovery efforts.
The president urged inhabitants of flood-prone areas to always adhere to the early warning advisories as issued by the organisations saddled with climate monitoring and disaster management.
Since January this year flooding has been reported in Lagos, Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Ebonyi, Anambra, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Imo, Abia States and the Federal Capital Territory, affecting 508,721 people.
The destructive floods also displaced 73,379 people, 115 casualties and injured 277 people.
