Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State has called on Federal Government to find lasting solution to the recurring incident of flood disaster ravaging Kogi State on yearly basis.
He gave the charge during an interactive session with Director General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar in Lokoja, Kogi State, expressed grave concern over the date of thousands of households living in various communities located along the major rivers.
In the bid to address the challenge, he underscored the need for the present administration to construct more dams and dredging the rivers.
In his assessment of various interventions carried out by Federal Government so far, the Governor showered encomium on National Emergency Management Agency for its prompt emergency response to the flood situation in the state.
The Governor who was represented by the his Deputy, Elder Joel Salifu said the affirmed that NEMA’s intervention was reassuring of the efforts by the Federal Government to assist the state to address the impact of the flood disaster.
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In her remark, NEMA Director General who was represented by the Director Planning Research and Forecasting, Dr. Onimode Bandele who led the NEMA team to Lokoja assured that the Agency would collaborate with the State Government to address the flood situation in the State especially with regards to the challenges faced by affected communities and displaced persons.
She said that the Agency had activated its operational office and deployed technical officers for rescue and evacuation operations as well as to also assess the extent of damages in collaboration with the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other relevant stakeholders.
The NEMA boss, while commending the State Government for establishing emergency shelters around Lokoja and other flood proned locations to accommodate displaced persons, noted that the NEMA had deployed it’s mobile water purifiers to ensure the availability of clean drinking water for the displaced persons.
The NEMA team visited some camps where some of the Internally Displaced Persons are taking temporary shelter.
