The Nigeria Hydrological Services (NIHSA) has blamed sub-nationals including state and local governments for disregarding “adequate and timely warnings” and weather advisories issued by the various Federal Government agencies such as NIHSA and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) to avert flood disaster in 2022.
“If our predictions were heeded by relevant sub-nationals, we will not have been where we are today but I am believing that following this year’s flood disaster across the land, the consciousness of relevant actors especially sub-nationals will be awakened to do the needful once they receive all these advisories,” NIHSA Director General, Clement Nze, said on while featuring on a monitored Channels Television programme on Saturday.
He also said the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, earlier in the year wrote letters to state governors informing them of the impending devastating floods of 2022 but some of the governors did not heed the warning.
Nze said, “They (weather predictions) were out early enough to set the tone for what to expect in the course of the year. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency came out with February 15 to paint the picture of what to expect most likely and my own agency, Nigeria Hydrological Services, later followed suit.
“The Minister of Water Resources that gave the unveiling of the prediction, the annual flood outlook, issued warnings, issued letters to each state government in Nigeria and relevant ministries like agriculture, environment and aviation, informing them the specific locations in their states they should watch out for during the rainy season.
“The letters were authored by him (minister), signed and sent to the governors, they were informed and the necessary measures they ought to take.”
