Eight local government areas of Zamfara are predicted to be affected by moderate-flooding in the 2024 rainy season, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has disclosed.
The Director-General of the agency, Hajiya Zubaida Umar, disclosed this in Gusau on Thursday at the sensitisation programme for the 2024 down-scaling of flood early warning strategies for early actions.
Umar, represented by the Director, ICT, Sani Alhaji-Lokoja, said the affected LGAs include: Bungudu, Bakura, Gummi, Gusau, Maradun, Shinkafi, Talata Mafara and Zurmi.
“These LGAs are already listed in the earlier NEMA’s communication to the state government.
“This underscores the downscaling and sensitization programme of the 2024 flood early warning strategies in Zamfara.
“I am therefore calling for support from all stakeholders to cascade this initiative to the grassroots,’’ she explained.
According to the NEMA boss, the agency found it necessary to stress that management of disaster risk in contemporary times hinges on community-wide participation, leaving no one behind.
Umar added, “As we always emphasize, “disaster management is everyone’s business.
“We must work together to safeguard communities at risk, protect critical infrastructure and support uninterrupted socio-economic activities in Zamfara.
“This is the guaranteed path of driving socio-economic growth and development in line with the renewed hope agenda of the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu.
“It is my hope that this event will go a long way in reducing the impacts of the annually recurring floods and to safeguard the private and communal livelihoods of the good people of Zamfara.’’ .
In his remarks, the Secretary to the State Government, Malam Abubakar Nakwada, described the programme as timely and a welcome development.
Nakwada described the flood as a very unfortunate disaster, adding, ”therefore, this programme is to empower our people to take early warning actions very seriously.
“I am using this medium to express the readiness of the state government under Gov. Dauda Lawal to continue collaborating with NEMA to implement disaster risk management measures in the state.
“We are going to make sure that all the information shared from this event reach all stakeholders across the state/’’
Other speakers were the Commissioner for Humanitarian and Relief Matters, Alhaji Salisu Musa, Emir of Bungudu, Alhaji Hassan Attahiru, Director-General and State Fire Service, Abdullahi Jibo, among others.
They all pledged their support to the sensitisation programme on early warning actions at the grassroots.
