Climate-related issues have continued to increase vulnerability in Nigeria particularly in the Lokogoma axis of the Federal Capital Territory as it begins to witness high flooding in the first quarter of 2023.
A report had it that about 4.4 million people were affected in 2022 by flooding, leaving many displaced and in dire need of humanitarian assistance even though the nation’s key funding partners such as UNICEF have been keen on addressing these needs.
The federal government has had little or no commitment to providing relief to areas prone to disasters.
Recently, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria Cristian Munduate in her Humanitarian Needs Overview said that there are profound humanitarian needs across Nigeria due to poverty, poor or absent institutions needed to deliver basic services and fragile rule of law and many more.
Evidently, millions of people are negatively impacted both in rural and urban regions, leaving victims with long-lasting depression and anxiety, as waterborne disease, cholera, and much more spread across the country.
Opinion leaders are of the saying that these menaces could be averted if the government augments donors’ efforts for early warning mechanisms rather than investing in humanitarian assistance.
In a tour to ascertain the level of impact 2023 flooding could displaced residents in Lokogoma of the FCT Abuja, the chairman of the Estate Management, Shettima Gana while lamenting the ugly situation, said they have engaged the residents on out-of-pocket spending to curtail the impact of flooding.
He expressed fears that this year’s flooding may heighten than that of 2019 if measures are not taken by the government to ameliorate suffering.
