THE Jigawa state government says it has earmarked N4.2 billion to fast-track flood mitigation and emergency response services to the disaster.
Dr Abdullahi Sa’id, Chairman, Local Emergency Management Committees said this on Wednesday during a town hall meeting in Ringim, headquarters of Ringim Local Government Area of the state.
The meeting is being organised by the Jigawa State Environmental Protection Agency and the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency.
Jigawa is one of the states predicted to experience floods this rainy season in the Nigerian Meteorological Agency 2025 Seasonal Climate Predictions.
Sa’id said the fund has been approriated to mitigate flood and enhance emergency response in 21 LGAs predicted to experience flood in the state.
“The state government under the SEMA has set aside N4 billion, and each of the 27 LGAs contributed N11 million last month for prevention and emergency response against the NiMet predictions on the disaster,” he said.
He said the state government also established LEMCs, to be headed by the Vice Chairman of each of the 27 LGCs, to ensure effective prevention and response against emergencies.
The committees, he said, comprising 20 members has been mandated to coordinate flood mitigation through public enlightenment and desilt exercise in communities, to ease water flow during the rainy season.
Mr Adamu Sabo, the Managing Director of the JISEPA, said the agency conducted flood preparedness and environmental sanitation campaigns as well as sensitised communities and stakeholders to contribute their quota towards flood mitigation.
Sabo described the exercise as a ‘live and property saving effort,’ and urged residents to avoid acts capable of causing a flood.
He said the state government was dredging rivers to ease water flow in riverine communities that might arise from the release of excess water from the Tiga, Bagauda and Challawa dams in Kano State.
He urged the participants to step down the message to their respective communities to avert the disaster.
“As an agency, we are using this medium to appeal to people to support the government efforts in reducing or preventing the impact of the flood in case it occurs because prevention is better than cure,” he said.
Also, Hannafi Yakubu, Executive Secretary, SEMA, warned against dumping of waste on waterways to prevent flooding.
The Emir of Ringim, Alhaji Sayyadi Mahmud, commended the gesture, adding that it would encourage early flood mitigation in the communities.
Mahmud was represented by Alhaji Nasiru Isa-Mahmud.
The exercise was attended by the representatives of the federal and state fire services, security agencies, and humanitarian actors, among others.