Flooding: NEC recommends inclusion of S’East, S’South in dams construction

Nigeria's top economic advisory body, the National Economic Council, said on Thursday that the South East and South-South be included in dam development.

In order to reduce flooding, the council also supported a previous Federal Government order requiring the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to start a thorough integrity test of Nigeria's waterways and dams.

This was disclosed by Charles Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, following the 144th council meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the State House in Abuja.

According to Soludo, following the devastating effects of this year's floods, council members were updated by Joseph Utsev, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, on the FG's initiatives.

From April to November 2024, Utsev had previously designated 148 local government districts throughout 31 States as being at high danger of flooding.

NEC decided that "the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation should conduct an integrity review of all the waterways and dams across the country" following the Minister's presentation, according to Soludo.
There was a strong focus on the necessity of a large-scale waterway dredging effort. Additionally, the council asked governors to submit their reports on floods and management in their states right away if they haven't already.

The Council also pointed out that there should be an infrastructure resilient fund component in the Green Climate Fund, and that there are several essential components of the country that are very massively ravaged by this flooding, particularly the South East/South South that are completely omitted in the ongoing programs of the construction of dams at least to act as speed bumps along the highways particularly in the River Niger,” he said.
According to the former governor of the central bank, the Council reviewed the national emergency, the responses to the damages, the coordination between the federal government and the states, and the next steps that need to be implemented.

The Governor continued, "Around 34 States have been affected so far, 217 local governments, 1,374,557 people have already been affected, 740,743 people have been displaced nationwide, 321 people have died, 20, 845 have been injured, and 250,800 hectares of cultivated farmlands have been destroyed or affected by the rapid floods."

Utsev told the council during his presentation that a technical subcommittee that President Tinubu constituted on October 8, 2024, is working on its task and would prepare a preliminary report that will be delivered to the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the President's consideration.
According to Soludo, the council underlined the necessity of an annual canal desilting program in order to lower the risk of flooding in the future.

Additionally, while flood damage reports are crucial for creating focused relief initiatives, the council asked states who have not yet submitted them to do so as soon as possible.

To assist impacted communities in flood-prone areas, the NEC suggested adding a Resilience Infrastructure Fund component to the Green Climate Fund.

Additionally, it urged for increased dam and flood control system building, especially along the Niger River and in areas that have been severely affected, including the South-East and South-South.