From Ifeoma Ejiofor
Director -General, National Orientation Agency (NOA) Mallam Lanre Issa Onillu and his team have embarked on a nationwide flood sensitization and evaluation programme in all flood prone areas across the country.
Briefing Journalists on their findings in Ohita Community, Ogbaru local government of Anambra state, after accessing the rate of the flood in the vulnerable LGAs, Mallam Onillu officially informed Ndi-Anambra that Lagdo Dam was opened up by the Cameroonian authorities.
Mallam Onillu, represented by the Director Planning, Research and Strategy (PRS), NOA Headquarters, Alhaji Nuru Yusuf Kobi, said that they were expecting that the water level of the river Niger and Benue would rise and will naturally cause flooding in the country.
“So we thought it is imperative that we visit our people that are living within the riverine communities to talk to them that the Lagdo Dam water have been released and that it is expected that the water level will increase.
“We are now creating awareness so that people could get prepared in case of the flooding. It happened in 2012 and 2022, we lost 600,000 people in the two cases and over 10,000 houses were submerged by the flood,” he recalled.
The DG NOA noted that the sensitization effort is meant to prevent a reoccurrence of what happened in the past.
“People should get prepared should in case, there is flooding, they should pack all take their children and their belongings to a safer environment.
The Anambra State NOA, Mr. Edozie Ajaegbu notified the visiting team that the officers of the agency, known as Community Orientation and Mobilization Officers were already on ground in all the LGAs of the state mobilizing the people on the inherent dangers of the flooding.
