A non-governmental organisation, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), on Tuesday sympathised with victims of the recent flood in Mokwa town, Niger State.

This group expressed its sympathy in a statement on Tuesday by its Media/Communication Lead at HOMEF, Kome Odhomor.

Ms Odhomor noted that flooding had become a persistent nightmare in Nigeria, adding that in 2012, floods affected 33 out of the 36 states of the federation following the July to October rainfall.

She recalled that in 2018, the Benue and Niger Rivers overflowed due to heavy rainfall, causing flooding in 12 states, including Kogi and Niger states.

She stated, “Four years later, in 2022, another severe flood killed more than 600 individuals, displacing more than two million others.’’

The media/communication lead of the ecology-focused group therefore called on governments to adopt a proactive strategy to avert floods in the remaining part of the rainy season.

She noted that the impacts of these floods have been catastrophic to communities and states.

”While we mourn this tragic loss, HOMEF emphasises the need for the government to take proactive measures to prevent similar or worse incidents from occurring in the future,” she said.

Ms Odhomor quoted the Executive Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, as saying that with the flood incident in Niger State, if nothing was done to avert a recurrence in flood-prone areas, they could cease to exist.

”This is a horrendous recurring decimal. There is no word to describe our lack of preparedness and our ill-maintained infrastructure. Combined with insecurity and the fact that more rain is expected, the displacement problems will be compounded. There is no time for excuses. This is the time to declare an environmental state of emergency across the board.

“This national emergency can impact our national wellbeing by leading to food scarcity, environmental degradation, mass displacement, increased poverty, and water-borne diseases and exacerbate insecurity,” he said.

Mr Bassey drew attention to forecasts and early warnings from different agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and expressed disappointment that they were not heeded.

“Nigeria needs to be proactive; our government needs to have emergency preparedness and be able to relocate people when these warnings and forecasts are made to avert the kinds of disasters we see when flooding occurs. We sympathise with the families affected by the floods and stand in solidarity with the communities that have been impacted,” he said.

(NAN)