The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu has blamed state governments for ignoring early warnings that could have averted the impact of this year’s flooding.
He made this known on Wednesday during a briefing after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Adamu, who acknowledged that there is no way flood can be stopped, asserted that there was adequate information regarding the enormity of the disaster and states that would be affected but they were ignored.
At a joint presentation to FEC by his ministry and that of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Adamu said the present administration is already working on a flood management masterplan that will take at least three years to complete.
He also blamed tree felling and degraded soil for the massive impact of this year’s floods in the country.
Similarly, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola absolved the Federal Government of any blame for not providing temporary shelters for citizens in vulnerable flood plains, maintaining that it is the responsibility of states and local governments.
According to him, his ministry has identified 154 places across the country that had been damaged by the recent floods.
Although he could not tell specifically where the affected places were, he said his ministry came up with 80 billion naira as funds needed to address the damage.
Over 600 persons have been killed and millions displaced as devastating floods ravage more than 20 states across Nigeria in the last two months.
