This information was conveyed by Fatima Kasim, the Director of Planning, Research, and Forecasting at NEMA, during the Emergency Coordination Forum Meeting held in Abuja on Thursday.

Kasim acknowledged that flooding has become a recurring issue in Nigeria, primarily triggered by factors such as improper construction practices and inadequate infrastructure design. As of August 9, she provided the following data for the 2023 flood situation:

• Number of affected states: 10
• Number of affected individuals: 33,983
• Number of displaced individuals: 7,353
• Number of injured individuals: 75
• Number of fatalities: 5
• Number of houses extensively damaged: 1,679
• Total damaged farmlands: 866 hectares

NEMA’s Director General, Mustapha Ahmed, highlighted that the agency has activated preparedness, mitigation, and response measures throughout the country.

The Emergency Coordination Forum aims to unite key stakeholders in tackling ongoing disasters and emergencies, including floods.

Engineer Clement Nzeh, Director General of the National Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), identified states at high risk of floods based on the 2023 Annual Flood Outlook prediction.

The list includes Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mustapha Ahmed, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday.

He emphasized the agency’s caution in ensuring that only Nigerian citizens are evacuated.

Prior to the commencement of the evacuation operation, the Nigerian Diaspora Commission reported that there were approximately three million Nigerians in Sudan, including 5,000 students.

However, the NEMA boss revealed that the citizenship of many individuals claiming to be Nigerians could not be verified. Some claimed Nigerian ancestry spanning five generations, despite being born in Sudan, but this remains unverified.

Ahmed also shared an incident where desperate Sudanese individuals attempted to board the vehicles meant for transporting Nigerians to the Egypt border.

When questioned about the cost of the evacuation, Ahmed did not provide an exact figure but disclosed that Nigeria paid $22,662 as exit fees for moving the evacuees from Sudan, along with an additional $62,950 for entry visas into Egypt.

NEMA stated that any Nigerian with verified documents interested in returning to the country can take advantage of the available opportunities.

Among the 2,518 Nigerian returnees, there was a pregnant woman who reportedly gave birth while awaiting evacuation.

Her newborn, who was the only infant among the evacuees, is currently receiving treatment for jaundice at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

According to NEMA, no Nigerian lives were lost in the war in Sudan. However, a total of 23 sick evacuees were received, with 10 receiving immediate treatment upon arrival and 13 being referred to the 108 Nigerian Airforce Hospital in Abuja.

According to the government, early warnings given to the states in 2022 by NEMA were ignored that led to the devastating effects all over the affected areas.

The Director General of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mustapha Mohammed made this known in Abuja when he appeared before the Senator Yusuf Yusuf, APC, Taraba Central led Senate Committee on Special Duties to defend the  2023 budget.

He said, “Let me also use this opportunity to prevail on the committee to intervene on our behalf. We have written to states several times. This flood is still coming in 2023.

“They must be advised early to set up SEMA and local emergency committee and fund them adequately. We gave similar warning last year but our advises were ignored.”

Mohammed who told the senators that despite early warnings issued to state and local governments whose areas are flood-proned, none of them had taken any positive steps to guide against it, however explained that the Federal Government had opened up the nation’s silos and had released 12,000 tonnes of grains already which were shared to all the 36 states of the federation

The NEMA Director- General who advised that State governments must do  more and be proactive in disaster management instead of abandoning it to the federal government,  said that  the National Assembly should help to inform the state early enough to avoid another devastating effects.

Mohammed who noted that NEMA lacked adequate personnel to handle disaster management, said that state governments should help, adding that they do not enjoy hazard allowance.

In her remarks, a member of the committee, Senator Uche Ekwunife, PDP, Anambra Central who expressed doubts over the possibility of the National Assembly to tell states and local governments to put arrangement that could prevent flooding in place,  said, “The National Assembly is an independent institution that is not answerable to any states. The states are also not answerable to us.

“We can only appeal to them but our constituents has a greater role to play by telling their state governments to act fast on the NEMA warning.

At the end of the day, the Committee  challenged the people of the affected states to hold their  governors accountable because is beyond the mandate and jurisdiction of the National Assembly.

The Senators  who urged NEMA to make request for additional manpower through the head of service to the president,  stressed the need to review  the extant conditions of service of NEMA so that their staff could enjoy a special salary scale.

Also speaking, Senator Francis Fadahunsi, PDP, Osun  appealed to the states to use the huge financial resources that is available to it  especially the ecological funds to address the environmental challenges confronting them.

The stranded Nigerians arrived on Thursday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 4:22 pm.

They consist of 46 male adults, 62 female adults, two male and six female children, as well as four female and six male infants.

NEMA acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the incident in a statement.

Represented the Director General, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, the Coordinator said the returnees were received at the Cargo Wing of the MMMIA.

Aboard a Boeing 700-787 Al Buraq Air with registration number 5A-DMG, Farinloye said they were brought back to the country by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through a voluntary repatriation programme.

Farinloye said that the programme was meant for the distressed Nigerians who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries but could not afford to return when their journey became frustrating.

The Coordinator asked the returnees to turn a new leaf in looking for ample opportunities that abound in the country, which are enough for everyone to achieve their desired goals.

He equally called on the returnees to be ambassadors toward advocacy and sensitisation against irregular migration that leaves the youths vulnerable to all sorts of abuses and death in extreme cases.

Officials of the Immigration Service, Refugee Commission, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Police, were also on hand to receive the returnees.

It stated that the inaugural air ambulance return flight took place recently when the agency’s aircraft airlifted some officials from Abuja to Jigawa State and back to the Federal Capital Territory.

The agency disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja by its spokesperson, Ezekiel Manzo on Tuesday.

“NEMA Air Ambulance has resumed operations after successful routine maintenance and completion of all civil aviation requirements.

“An official inaugural return flight was held as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, and Director-General, NEMA, Mustapha Ahmed, were conveyed from Abuja to Dutse, Jigawa State on official engagement.”

In 2014, NEMA introduced its first air ambulance for emergency health care. The airplane, which was inaugurated at the Trauma Centre of the National Hospital, Abuja, was for quick transportation of patients with emergency cases.

The then Chief Pilot and Head of NEMA Special Wing, Capt. Ibrahim Mamman, had stated that the project was part of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government at the time.

“The air ambulance can be used to transport patients with critical and traumatic health situations from anywhere the individual is,” Mamman had said.

“As a matter of fact, the jet can go anywhere in the world. It has a mile range of 3,000 miles.”

However, in 2018 operations of the air ambulance service were grounded after it was due to routine maintenance and regulatory requirement.

The agency stated on Tuesday that following changes in leadership, the repair of the aircraft was completed last year and returned from France.

“This year the present management finalised all regulatory requirements in returning the aircraft to its ambulance operations,” the agency stated.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South West coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.

The affected communities were Oke Isagun, Agbado Oke, Oko LCDA, all in Alimosho LGA.

“The rainfall of Friday, 8th July and Saturday, 9th July, 2022 has revealed that about seven people – three children of the same parent and four adults – died.”, Farinloye said.

Emergency responders, however, eight people during the two-day continuous rainfall.

The three siblings were residing at a church belonging to Mercy of Christ Apostolic Church, situated in an uncompleted building.

Michael, 18; Elizabeth, 17 years and Timi, 14, were swept away while trying to relocate from their room to the main church structure.

Timi, said to be asthmatic, slipped while trying to climb the plank linking their room to the church building.

The coordinator added that the remaining two, while trying to rescue their sibling, were also swept away by the flood.

“The bereaved parents were said to be somewhere, but the NEMA team had a brief meeting with the community leaders on the way forward”, the statement added.

They informed NEMA that in the same community, four siblings were also swept away on the same day but were rescued.

The boat was sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe, a suburb of Lagos, when the tragedy struck.

16 people were on board the boat on Saturday before tragedy struck, killing two persons earlier, emergency officials said.

While two bodies were immediately recovered, two more bodies were later retrieved last night in rescue operations.

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA,  Zonal Coordinator, South-West, Ibrahim Farinloye, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

According to the statement, a total of 17 bodies had been recovered so far from the recovery operations of the missing victims.

“The recovery operation of the missing victims of an ill-fated boat sailing from Mile 2 to Ibeshe has led to the recovery of a total of 11 more bodies today,” NEMA spokesperson, Ibrahim Farinloye, said via a statement on Sunday.

“Late yesterday night, two more bodies were recovered in addition to the two earlier recovered in the morning. With this, it has become a total of 15 bodies recovered.

“It is likely that two more bodies have been sighted but until final recovery is done before that can be confirmed.”

The agency lamented that some illegal boat operators still violate rules stipulated by the Inland Waterway by carrying passengers after the end of official hours – 7pm.

According to NEMA, regulatory bodies have tried to stamp out illegal operations of small boat operators who hardly use life jackets after official hours.

The NEMA spokesman, however, maintained that the illegal operators do not heed to efforts put in place.

Farinloye added, “It was also observed that wooding boat are not permitted to be used as passengers boat but its only at this odd hours the illegal operators’ always put the lives of unsuspecting passengers at risk.

“Efforts are on the motion to address the gaps with all stakeholders such as Nigerian Navy’s Special Boat Service , Association of Boat/Ferry Operators of Nigeria, LASWA, NIWA, NEMA and Marine Police to address the situation.”

The Acting Coordinator of the Lagos Territorial Office of NEMA, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.

Farinloye said the returnees who were stranded in Libya, departed Mitiga International Airport, Tripoli, aboard a chartered Buraq Aircraft at 10.00 pm local time and arrived at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday, at 2.10 am Nigerian time.

He said “The returnees were brought back to the country by the International Organisation for Migration through voluntary repatriation programme for the distressed persons. They had left the country to seek greener pasture in various European countries but could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated. The International Organisation for Migration since 2017 had assisted to bring about 21,000 distressed Nigerians back to the country,”

He said the returnees were 98 adult females, 28 adult males, 19 female children and five male children, nine female infants and three male infants.

Farinloye said five of the returnees had various health-related issues.

He said the Port Health Unit of the Federal Ministry of Health, National Commission for Resilience, Migration and IDPs and the Nigerian Immigration Services were part of the government agencies who received the returnees at the airport

The spokesperson for NEMA (South West), Ibrahim Farinloye, in a statement on Wednesday, advised residents to avoid using anything inflammable.

He said “Residents around Computer Village, Underbridge Awolowo Way, and Oba Akran axis, Anifowose Street, Medical Road must not open shops or use open naked fire for safety reasons. Distressed alert just received indicates massive leakage of gas pipeline around these areas.”

Three of the bodies, said to be adult males, were found inside one of the stores at the OPIC plaza by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) around 7am on Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday night after a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker exploded at Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, affecting a plaza housing dozens of organisations.

“The latest is that we just recovered three dead bodies this morning, which was beyond our expectation,” said Farinloye while giving an update on the incident on Sunrise Daily.

He added, “Yesterday, we made a headcount and management officials of the plaza were around, officials of all the organisations using the plaza were around; only one boy was claimed to be missing and unfortunately, we could not trace the boy yesterday night.

“Unfortunately, when we got there this morning, we saw three dead – one Mr Balogun who was the manager of the Chinese restaurant. He was recovered with two other personnel of the restaurant.”

The NEMA spokesman noted that the victims seemed to have made an attempt to escape from the building when the incident occurred.

He explained that this possibly led to their death, while the boy said to be missing since Thursday night had yet to be found.