The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Friday distributed relief materials to 350 flood victims in Ikorodu and Kosofe areas of Lagos.

Ibrahim Farinloye, South-West Zonal Coordinator, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Mr Farinloye said the relief items were distributed and monitored by NEMA and officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

He said that this was the first phase of the federal Glgovernment intervention to those affected by the 2021 flood in Kosofe and Ikorodu areas of Lagos.

Mr Farinloye added that the agency had close to 400 flood victims from Ikorodu and Kosofe areas that would benefit from the federal government support.

“We are visiting the flood victims in all the 67 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) in Lagos.

“We are distributing beverages, building materials, foodstuffs, mosquito nets and other household items to the flood victims.

“There are lots of water around Owode-Onirin and Ikorodu axis, which makes some of their property to be under water.

“In 2021, we created the Disaster Risk Reduction Management, ahead of the rainy period to reduce flood victims across the country,” Mr Farinloye said.

He said that before the introduction of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management, flood usually disturbs riverine residents between three to four months. He said it took two to three weeks for riverine residents to experience flood in 2021.

He urged Nigerians to always listen to both government and stakeholders’ engagement workshops and relocate from their environment during the rainy season.

Mr Farinloye said the agency had estimated over one million flood victims between Ikorodu and Kosofe areas in 2021.

He added that they had lesser victims due to the measures being taken on time.

Mr Farinloye said that the management of NEMA had already cautioned Nigerians to imbibe disaster risk protection to reduce flood victims on yearly basis.

He, however, advised Nigerians who reside around riverine areas to imbibe Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy to reduce the number of victims in the country.

(NAN)