The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has initiated an urgent nationwide sensitization campaign to prepare communities at risk of flooding due to the expected release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon.
The move is in response to an alert from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), warning that the dam’s water will soon be released, with potentially devastating impacts on Nigerian communities downstream.
The NOA has directed its Community Orientation Officers to commence immediate ward-to-ward awareness campaigns, especially in the eleven states identified as most vulnerable to flooding.
The states include Kogi, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Anambra, Bayelsa, and Delta.
Mallam Issa-Onilu emphasized the importance of not waiting for the floods to strike before taking action.
Drawing lessons from past flooding events in 2012 and 2022, he stressed the need for communities to be well-informed and prepared.
“We must give our people all the necessary information to make the right decisions,” he said, referring to the flood alerts issued by Cameroonian authorities.
The Director General outlined several key strategies, including evacuating coastal communities as a top priority, distributing floodplain maps and providing communities with emergency contacts and clear safety measures.
Other strategies are setting up emergency food banks and medical facilities in relocation areas and ensuring that children’s education continues in safer schools without disruption.
In addition to NOA’s efforts, Mallam Issa-Onilu called on state and local governments to take NIHSA’s warnings seriously, urging them to implement precautionary measures immediately.
He also appealed for technical expertise from stakeholders and relevant government institutions to support the campaign and ensure that no one is displaced or harmed by the impending floods.
Recall that more than three million children in Borno State have been left without access to education as schools are closed indefinitely following the worst floods in the region in over 30 years.
The crisis has heightened concerns about child marriage, child labour, and other protection risks as displaced families struggle to cope with the aftermath.
The catastrophic floods, which submerged large parts of Maiduguri, have displaced over 400,000 people, forcing tens of thousands of children into overcrowded displacement camps and school buildings that were spared from the destruction.
