The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has appealed to Anambra State riverine communities to be on alert as Cameroonian authorities will soon release excess water from it Lagdo Dam.
Mallam Issa-Onilu, made the appeal while speaking to Journalists shortly after the Agency’s sensitization tour at Ohita community in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the State, on Friday.
According to the DG, who was represented by the Agency’s Director of Planning, Research and Strategy, Allahaji Nuru Yusuf Kobi, said the tour to Anambra was necessary to alert all the riverine communities close to the Niger-River likely to be affected by the release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam to take precautionary measures to prevent damage to their properties and loss of life.
“We are appealing to them to urgently evacuate from the flood areas they strongly perceived to be more hazardous.
” We are doing this following the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) notification that indicated that the Nigerian government has been notified by Cameroonian authorities that it will soon release excess water from the dam, urging Nigeria to take precautionary measures to prevent damage to property and loss of life.
The Agency will not wait for the floods to deliver the message to our people. They must have all the information needed to make informed decisions, as we have been given this alert from our neighbouring country. What happened two years ago and in 2012 and 2022 should serve as a lesson to us all, the NOA boss alerted.
The State Director of NOA, Mr. Edozie Ajaegbu, in his brief speech, urged the people to stopped dumping refuse at the drainage to allow the free flow of water.
Speaking on behalf of the communities, the President General of Ohita community, Chief Chuza Imobi while commending the NOA for the sensitization tour, appealed to Federal Government to provide a permanent solution to the annual flooding in Nigeria by constricting dams to curb the menace, instead of settling with the distribution of relief materials in every affected year.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the tour, tagged, “Flood Safety Alert” was led by the State Direcor of NOA, Mr. Ajaegbu and its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Anthony Obiora.
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