Senate Calls For Federal Intervention Into Ogun, Lagos Flooding

By JP Ashedzi

The Senate following it’s recommendation for the establishment of a National Flood Management Council (NFMC) in Nigeria has urged President Bola Tinubu to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Committee for the Development of a Comprehensive Plan of Action on flooding.

The agency is expected to serve as a central body responsible for coordinating flood management activities nationwide.

The Senate resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East), yesterday.

The red chamber commiserated with the victims of the flood disaster and commended the governments of Lagos and Ogun states for their handling of the crisis occasioned by the flood disaster.

The Senate also directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to send relief materials to the victims of the flood in the affected communities in Lagos and Ogun states.

It urged the federal government to convene a stakeholders’ meeting to x-ray the recurring situation of flood across the country with a view to proffering a lasting solution to flood disasters.

It also directed the relevant committees of the Senate to provide adequate funding for the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMeT), Hydrological Agency of Nigeria, and the River Basin Development Authorities to effectively carry out their responsibilities in line with their mandates.

In his motion, Abiru noted that a number of communities close to the coast lines in Ikosi-Isheri and Agboyi-Ketu in Lagos state and other communities in Ogun states, had always experienced flooding whenever the Oyan river dams are opened.

Part of the motion read: “The recent release of water from the Dam caused unimaginable havoc and to residents’ properties and livelihoods particularly on Tuesday 24th October, 2023.