The Kaduna State government has asked residents living in flood-prone areas to immediately relocate to safer places.
Usman Mazadu, Executive Secretary of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), gave the directive in a statement on Wednesday in Kaduna
The action follows Monday’s flood that reportedly destroyed property and many houses in Sabon-Gari and Zaria Local Government Areas of the state.
Mazadu said, the state government had taken measures to mitigate the impact of the flood, including desilting drainages and conducting sensitisation campaigns.
He however lamented that despite predictions and warnings, some residents refused to relocate, leading to the destruction of over 200 houses in Zaria and Sabon-Gari LGAs
The SEMA boss called for cooperation of residents to ensure safety and avoid disaster in the impending flood.
The statement said, “As you may recall, we received predictions from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) three months ago, and we took proactive measures to prepare for the flood”, the statement reads.
“Our assessment identified three key issues: inadequate drainages, dumping of refuse, and structures erected within waterways.
“We presented our findings to the governor, who directed the stakeholders to embark on a statewide desilting of old drainages.
“O am pleased to report that this exercise has been completed, which helped minimize the impact of the flood in other predicted areas.
“However, despite our efforts, some residents refused to evacuate, leading to the destruction of properties.”
According to him, SEMA had been carrying out public enlightenment campaigns on radio stations, but residents are “yet to understand the essence and purpose of our lives.”
“I keep telling stakeholders and people within these flood-prone areas, that the issue of security and safety is not just about the governor, it is not just because we have a governor that is fair hearing, we equally need to understand the fact that we need to safeguard our lives and property.
“Let’s communicate to our brothers and sisters on the negative effect and dangers of living in flood-prone areas”, he said.
“On behalf of the government of Mallam Uba Sani, we are pleading with people living within flood-prone areas, to evacuate to urban centres”, the SEMA boss added.
