Mohammed Aminu in Sokoto
Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, on Thursday said his administration would identify flood-prone communities in the state and collaborate with their traditional leaders to relocate them.
Tambuwal made the remarks, when the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Sani Sidi, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Sokoto.
He maintained that the sentimental attachment of people to their communities would have to give way to the realities of life, as survival was more important than any sentiment.
The governor said it was in view of the need to prevent flood that, the state Ministry of Environment had been directed to evacuate all drainages in Sokoto metropolis before the rainy reason.
According to him, that effort saved the situation, particularly the Sokoto metropolis from being ravaged by major flood disaster.
He reaffirmed that the state government would continue to be proactive by sensitising members of the public and also create awareness whenever it receives such warning from appropriate authorities.
Tambuwal to this end, advised residents of the state to desist from erecting buildings on waterways.
“I will continue to call on our people to avoid blocking waterways. We all know that If you block water from its natural course, it will create one and this causes flood,” he said.
He noted that many farmers were affected by flood in the state this year and pledged that his administration would provide support to them to carry out dry season.
“Our farmers have suffered huge loss this year and we intend to encourage them to go into dry season farming.
“We will procure more farm inputs, particularly fertilizer and tubewells and give to the farmers for us to close the gap created by the flood disaster. We believe that doing so will avert food shortages within our environment and empower farmers to create more wealth for themselves,” he added.
Earlier, the Director General of NEMA told the governor that his visit to Sokoto was to assess the level of damage caused by flood in some communities and to present assistance to them as part of efforts by the federal government to cushion their suffering.
He stated that 15 out of 23 local government areas were affected with over 70 per cent of farmlands submerged by flood.
Sidi added that natural disasters were inevitable but government must be responsible by constructing drainages while timely response to early warnings could go a long way in preventing disasters.
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