Reps Summon NEMA, Others over ‘Imminent Flood Disaster’ in Ganaja, Kogi State »

…Sani Abdulraheem says Ganaja flood may cut off entire South East States from North if not addressed

The House has resolved to invite the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) and all the Federal Government Agencies to brief the House on the measure put in place to ameliorate flood disasters on the federal road in Ganaja linking five South East States.

The resolution on Tuesday, followed the adoption of a motion on the “Need to Provide Control Measures on the Federal Road in Ganaja Flood-Prone Area of Aiaokuta, Kogi State Linking the South East States to Prevent Severe Socio-Economic Adverse Effects on Nigerians.”

The motion was moved by Hon. Sanni Egidi Abdulraheem, representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency of Kogi State

He said that the annual recurring incident of flooding in Ganaja, the confluence area in Kogi State is crippling the socio-economic activities of residents and other Nigerians plying the road, thus,
destroying lives and property in the affected areas.

He also noted that in January 2023, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), released a seasonal
climate prediction with a forecast of the early onset of heavy rain throughout Nigeria, the forecast prediction of imminent flooding is already stirring Nigerians living in the Ganaja flood-prone area.

He raised concern that “Ganaja, the confluence area in Kogi State, is part of the 178 (one hundred and seventy-
eight) Local Government Areas in 32 (thirty-two) Sates that fall within the anticipated flood-prone areas as stipulated by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency in its annual flood outlook.”

He said Nigerians are yet to recover from the effect of the 2022 flood in Ganaja within Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State, which “affected not less than one million Nigerians, about 300 (three hundred) thousand Nigerians displaced, 5000, five thousand homesteads and
houses damaged, an estimated 80 (eighty) hectares of farmland destroyed, and several lives lost.”

He expressed worries that the
federal road linking Ganaja and the 5 (five) South East States will
be inaccessible during the fast-approaching flood season and will gravely affect the socio-economic activities of Nigerians plying the road to transport their goods and services to markets within the State and from the Northern States to the South Eastern States, if urgent measures to avert future floods is not put in place.

Following his prayers, the House resolved to invite the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and all the relevant Federal Government Agencies to brief the lawmakers on the measures put in place to ameliorate flood disasters on the federal road in Ganaja linking five South East States.

The House urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to adequately prepare palliative intervention inclusive of speed boats to convey Nigerians across the flood on the federal road in Ganaja to prevent severe
socio-economic adverse effects.

The House also urged the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to liaise with the Kogi State
Ministry of Works and Housing to provide an alternative bypass to the federal road in Ganaja in the flood-prone area to prevent cutting off the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and other Northern States from accessing the South East States through Kogi State.

They mandated the Committees of the Works, Federal Roads Maintenance and, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness (when constituted) to, collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to carry out wholistic investigation on how to tackle the challenge.

All the relevant House committees were mandated to ensure compliance and report back for further legislative actions.