To assist those affected by the worst floods in a decade, Nigeria’s leading opposition presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has urged the government to quickly establish a flood catastrophe fund akin to the one established to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
This is based on the statement made by Atiku Abubakar according to a report by Reuters.
The issue of climate change and the attendant impact of floods on lives and properties across the country has raised serious concerns over the past few months. Nonetheless, defective infrastructure and poor planning on the part of the FGN have made the disaster worse. The floods have been attributed by the authorities to excessive rain and the release of water from a dam in neighboring Cameroon.
An update from the Federal Government revealed that about 3.2 people have been affected by the floods, and as of October 24, 2022, 612 people have died as a result, and according to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, it has also resulted in 1,427,370 people being displaced, 181,600 houses being partially destroyed, and another 123,807 houses being fully damaged.
After visiting the worst-hit oil-producing state of Bayelsa, Atiku Abubakar stated that the floods served as a reminder of the effects of climate change and demanded that the government quickly establish a flood disaster relief fund. He said:
“It is a national emergency relief fund, similar in scope to what was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Abubakar said, referring to a $1.4 billion fund that the government launched in 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, to combat floods, the Federal Government established the Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, commonly known as the Flood Fund, which offers grants and loans to businesses, industries, and academic institutions among others.
According to a report by Punch, the government included various ways to raise money for the Flood Fund in its new National Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for Nigeria, including the crude oil account, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, donations, and endowments.
