The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Monday engaged stakeholders in Benue following the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) heavy rainfall prediction for the state.
The Director-General, NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, while speaking during the engagement in Makurdi, said the agency would begin the 2025 National Preparedness and Response Campaign (NPRC) in the state.
Umar said that efforts would be made to tackle the impact of annual floods and safeguard livelihood and bolster socio-economic growth.
She explained that the sensitisation was inline with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The NEMA boss, who was represented by Mr Aliyu Waziri, Director, North Central Zonal Directorate, said the agency’s mission was simply to save lives and property during the 2025 rainy season.
She said that annual floods in Nigeria had caused significant loss of lives, livelihoods and infrastructure over the years.
“We have also produced vulnerability maps for all communities at risk to serve as tools to guide governments in developing risk reduction measures.
“Public and private institutions, humanitarian organisations, school children and youth organisations are expected to leverage these tools to support NEMA efforts.
“NEMA has also developed disaster mitigation strategies, including capacity building of local emergency responders, simulation exercises, rainwater harvesting, etc,” she said.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr James Iorpuu, said that the agency was taking measures to respond to emergencies on time.
Iorpuu said that the stakeholders’ meeting would further guide the agency to plan ahead of eventual flooding in the state.
Other speakers at the meeting called for more support to NEMA to succeed in delivering on its mandate, and urged government to evolve lasting solution to the annual flooding across the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NEMA team later held a sensitisation campaign on flood and fire outbreaks at Achussa, a community within Makurdi Local Government Area.
NAN reports that Benue is among the states with heavy rainfall pattern that resulting in flooding annually.
