The National Economic Council (NEC) Wednesday reconstituted its committee on flood and directed state governments to send inventory of destruction caused by floods on or before Monday, September 9, 2024.
Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the 144th NEC meeting chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa state said the Council established governance structure to ensure the flood interventions would not be on ad-hoc basis.
He said the new members of the flood committee are the governors of Kogi, Oyo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Bayelsa and Jigawa states.
Other members of the committee are Minister of Water of Resources, Minister of State for Water Resources, Minister of State for Environment, Director-General of Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Director-General of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Director-General of National Water Resources Institute( NWRI), Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Managing Director of North East Development Commission (NEDC), Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) and Director-General of New Nigeria Development Company Limited (NNDC).
He said: “The Council has decided that Monday will be the deadline for all the states of the federation to submit details damages including farms, schools, barges that have been affected by the last flood.
“Mr Chairman mentioned it will be taken into consideration for appropriate support to the various states. So, these are the new very strong membership of the flood committee that will continue to address council henceforth.
Also speaking, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state said the meeting discussed federal government’s release of N3 billion to support flood relief efforts.
He said the Council noted that the floods had devastated the northeast, severing critical routes between Kano and Maiduguri that resulted in significant loss of lives and property.
He said the floods caused widespread damages to infrastructure, schools and farmlands, particularly in the northern part of the country.
The governor said the NEC emphasised the urgent need for enhanced food security measures, stressing that submerged farmlands would impact harvest yields.
“The flood was more devastating along the north east axis where a major artery between Kano and Maiduguri has been cut off with devastating effects on households, schools, bridges and other means of livelihood.
“Lives were lost and a lot of properties were also destroyed. Of course that has really provided a big challenge to us as a government and as a people in our states because we need to provide more of food security.
“Already, farmlands are already submerged and therefore there’s need for collaboration between all the tiers of government to ensure food security. There’s need for planning, collaboration and interaction to do that during the harvest time because the bumper harvest may not be as envisaged.
“So the Federal ministry of agriculture and all our subnational ministries are supposed to collaborate and ensure that something comprehensive is done,” he said.
Mohammed said as a result of the devastation, the council gave state governments up to Monday, September 9, 2024, to submit inventory of destruction.
Also speaking, Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi state said the Accountant-General of the Federation briefed the Council on the following accounts: Foreign Excess Crude Account standing at $473,754.47, Natural Resources Account standing at N3,551,078,534.57 and Stabilisation Account standing at N33,874,398,389.75.
…Report on State Police
In a related development, the Council gave Kwara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Adamawa states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) a five-day grace within which to submit their reports on the establishment of state police.
Briefing journalists, Acting Oyo state Governor Bayo Lawal said the states and FCT must submit their reports on or before Monday, September 9, 2024.
He said the decision of NEC would be binding on the four states and FCT if they failed to submit their reports within the stipulated time.
“An update on the establishment of State police was considered and this was as a result of the security situation challenges that we have across the nation in North-east, North-central, South-west, South-east and South-south.
“So that we would have robust security in our nation, for that purpose some time last year NEC considered the establishment of state police and asked states to make submissions of considerations.
“Today all the states were supposed to submit for consideration of the NEC incidentally, four states couldn’t submit.
“NEC decided that those states must make their submissions on or before Monday 9th September otherwise whatever decision NEC takes on the establishment of State police is binding on those states that refuse to make submission,” he said.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, Thursday, February 15, 2024, agreed, in line with recommendations by some governors, on the need to establish state police to curb insecurity in the country.