President Muhammadu Buhari has given the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, 90 days to develop a comprehensive plan of action for the prevention of flood disaster in Nigeria.
The President’s directive was conveyed to the minister in a letter signed by his Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari, according to a statement on Monday by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu.
According to the statement, Buhari ordered the minister to coordinate with the ministries of environment and transportation as well as state governments to develop the plan.
Shehu also added that, Buhari is “regularly receiving updates on the flooding situation in the country and restates his commitment towards addressing the challenges caused by the disaster in the country”.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had last week said about 2.5 million persons have been affected so far and over 603 persons killed by the flooding caused by torrential rainfall in over 20 states across Nigeria.
UNICEF had over the weekend said over 1.5 million children at risk of dropping out of schools and facing imminent health challenges owing to the flood situation which has reportedly affected 34 states out of 36 in Nigeria.