The Nigerian government has taken decisive steps to mitigate the effects of flood across the country, grouping the 36 States into three categories.
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the monthly meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Wike explained that the special committee set up by NEC did the grouping after it went around the country to assess the impact of flooding.
He listed the States under their various categories as follows: “The States in group ‘A’ those with over 15 points, the most affected States are Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Rivers, Enugu, Kano, Oyo, Yobe, Zamfara
“Those in group ‘B’ those with 10-15 points are Cross River, Delta, Jigawa, Kwara, and Ondo.
Those in category ‘C’ with less than 10 points are Katsina, Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, FCT.”
He said the council directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately provide intervention to the affected States.
“NEC resolved to develop a roadmap for intervention and directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide immediate intervention on relief materials to the affected states,” he explained.
The FCT Minister further said a road map would be developed and articulated by NEC in collaboration with the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, gave details of balances in the nation’s excess crude and other accounts as follows:
Excess Crude Account, $473,754.57; Stabilization Account, N34,936,868,803.58; Development of Natural Resources, N128,330,636,441.14.
