Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
As a follow up to the flood alert issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) which listed Ogun as one of the states likely to be affected by flood, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Wednesday, paid advocacy visit to the state and held a stakeholders meeting.
Leading the NEMA delegation, its Director-General, Air Vice Marshal Muhammadu Muhammed (Rtd.), said the visit was to sensitise relevant stakeholders in emergency management and to ascertain the level of preparedness of Ogun for the food warning.
Speaking at the meeting which had in attendance, the officials of the Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun State Fire Service, Traffic Compliant and Enforcement (TRACE) and Nigerian Red Cross, the DG said that the flood disaster in Kebbi, Jigawa and other parts of the country had led to huge crops loss, which according to him could put the nation’s food security under threat.
Muhammed, represented by Director, Search and Rescue, NEMA, Air Commodore Edward Kolawole Adedokun, said the junk of farm produce expected to boost the national food security have been lost to flood in Kebbi, Jigawa and other affected areas.
According to him, the Annual Flood Outlook revealed that 102 Local Government Areas in 28 states fall within the high probable areas, while 275 LGs in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) fall within moderately probable risk areas.
He noted that there was urgent need for states to take proactive and mitigating measures towards addressing the flood crisis.
In Ogun State, NEMA DG listed the highly probable risk areas as Abeokuta South, Ogun Waterside and  Ijebu East Local Government Areas, while the probable flood areas are Ewekoro, Abeokuta North, Odeda and Ifo LGs.
The DG, however, asked Governor Dapo Abiodun to direct the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), frontline LG authorities and other response agencies to put in preparedness actions towards mitigating the flood crisis.
He also appealed to the government to identify high grounds for possible Internally Displaced Persons Camps (IDPs) in order to shelter evacuated communities.
Responding on behalf of the governor, the Commissioner for Environment, Abiodun Abudu – Balogun said the government had already commenced massive dredging of rivers and desilting of canals across the state to curb incidences of flooding.
He added that residents living in about 40 communities prone to flood have been asked to relocate temporarily as part of moves to safe lives and properties.
The Commissioner disclosed that a number of residents have started relocating already, adding that the government would deploy persuasive means and not a force to ensure the affected communities vacate the flood plain areas.
He, however, called for continuous support of the Federal Government in the provision of relief materials for disaster victims across the state.