Severe flooding has wreaked havoc across three Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Nasarawa State, submerging over 300 farmlands and leaving one person dead.
The Director General of the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA), Mr. Benjamin Akwash, disclosed this in Lafia on Friday after leading a team to assess the extent of damage in the affected communities.
Akwash revealed that farmlands covering hundreds of hectares in Nasarawa, Kokona, and Doma LGAs were destroyed, resulting in extensive losses for farmers. He expressed concern over the refusal of many residents in high-risk areas to relocate, despite repeated warnings and sensitization efforts by the agency.
“We have been engaging communities and stakeholders on the importance of adhering to weather forecasts and safety guidelines, but many residents are still unwilling to move to safer grounds,” Akwash said.
He added that the state government is shifting focus from emergency relief alone to implementing long-term flood prevention strategies, which will include improved infrastructure and community-based disaster preparedness.
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Meanwhile, the government has concluded plans to distribute food and non-food relief materials to victims of the floods and other disaster-hit communities across the state.
Akwash also issued an urgent appeal to residents in riverine areas, particularly those in the five most vulnerable LGAs of Doma, Nasarawa, Toto, Awe, and Kokona, to evacuate to safer locations to avoid further loss of lives and property.
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