A powerful windstorm destroyed at least 209 dwellings in Fika local government area of Yobe State.
This was revealed by Dr. Mohammed Goje, Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (YOSEMA), at a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) stakeholders’ engagement on the National Disaster Preparedness and Response Campaign (NPRC) in Damaturu.
“In 2025, we experienced one windstorm incidence in Fika local government area which affected about 209 households including public buildings.
“We are tracking and reviewing how we can support those affected communities,” Goje said.
Data obtained from the YOSEMA indicated that in 2024 alone, 28,977 households (68,954 individuals) were affected by windstorm and flooding across Yobe State.
This is in addition to 544 persons sustaining varying degrees of injuries due to building collapse caused by floods.
The data also showed that 47 death were recorded in 601 communities across the 17 local government areas of the state due to the disaster.
On the stakeholders engagement, the Director General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, represented by the North East Zonal Director, Yakubu Suleiman, said it has become pertinent to engage states in the region following the release of the 2025 seasonal climate prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMET) and annual flood outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, (NIHSA).
She said the engagement was part of proactive measures to mitigate the impact of the disaster in high-risk communities.
The campaign is themed ‘Strengthening resilience, enhancing preparedness and response: Taking disaster risk management to the grassroots to save lives, restore normalcy and build communal resilience across Nigeria’.
