Nigeria needs a council for flood control, the Presidential Committee claims.

The 18-member National Flood Management Council, or NFMC, to be presided over by the nation’s vice president, was suggested by the Presidential Flood Committee, which was constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.

The committee’s report, titled “National Strategic Plan for Flood Management, May 2023,” was presented during a press conference held at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources Headquarters in Abuja. The report’s recommendation was read by the committee’s chairman, Minister of Water Resources Engr Suleiman Adamu.

According to him, the planned NFMC would coordinate flood-related affairs across the nation and handle any additional issues that the President could order. It would also source money for any flood-related issues.

In order to address the country’s flood disasters, he continued, the proposed council must perform tasks that would mitigate against floods of any intensity and provide advice to the president on matters such as when to declare a state of emergency based on the classification of a flood.

He declared: “It is suggested that the National Flood Management Council, or NFMC, be constituted and based out of the Vice President’s Office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s President shall receive advice from the Council on all matters relating to flood management, including the declaration of a state of emergency based on flood classification.

“Coordinate the nation’s flood management efforts.

Deal with any flood management-related issues, as the President may instruct.

For all flood-related concerns, “source and provide adequate funding.”

He stated, “The President shall declare a State of Emergency when Category 4 (Major Flood) occurs, on the recommendation of the NFMC.”

The research emphasized the importance of multi-sectoral cooperation for the management and mitigation of flooding in Nigeria.

In the meanwhile, he (Adamu) claimed that the committee had suggested ten strategic initiatives, among them the collection of data and the sharing of integrated flood control across many sectors.

The group also provided advice to the Federal Government on how to strengthen Nigerians’ capabilities at all levels for flood prevention.

The chairman of the committee claims that the federal government will need to spend N3.460 trillion to implement the report’s suggested 10 strategic goals.

The areas of intervention, approximate costs, and timelines for each project, he stated. The 10 Strategic Plans would reportedly cost N3.460 trillion to implement.

Larger projects, especially those requiring highly technical solutions, typically need for a combination of federal and state credit aid.

The National Flood Management Council, NFMC, Office of the Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria may establish a money pool with the designation “Flood Management Fund” and as its domicile. All flood management efforts should be covered by the Fund.

The group also recommended suitable funding solutions, such as an annual budget, ecological funds, money for the development of natural resources, and others, to prevent floods.

The committee recommended that the Federal Government establish Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs, for the exchange of flood data among pertinent authorities.

The committee also noted in its report that a “robust early warning system that encompasses the dynamics of rain, catchment characteristics, and anthropogenic activities with appropriate leady-time marks installation would be minimized in the country.”

The National control Council should be operationalized in order to coordinate integrated flood control, the committee further advised.

Military and paramilitary organizations must train vulnerable groups and create and carry out regional training programs for them.

“Construction of dams and detention bases on the River, Benue, Donga, Taraba, Mada, Dep, and Okpokwu.”

The committee, however, criticized the inadequate financing and attention provided to floods by pointing out that the federal, state, and municipal governments invest in post-disaster initiatives instead, which is essentially after-death medicine.

It will be noted that the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, revealed that the 2012 flood catastrophe resulted in 363 fatalities, 5,851 injuries, 3,891,314 impacted, and 3,871,530 displaced individuals.

A presidential committee was established on President Muhammadu Buhari’s instruction and was inaugurated on November 3, 2022 to prepare a comprehensive plan of action for preventing flood disasters in Nigeria and to lessen the danger and impact of flood disasters on the populace.