Home FEATURES Federal, State Governments Set Up Project Coordinating Unit On Floods

Federal, State Governments Set Up Project Coordinating Unit On Floods

The National Economic Council (NEC), made up of the federal and states governments, including other stakeholders have resolved to set up Project Coordinating Unit for the purpose of fighting floods that had devastated many communities across the country.

Rising from its meeting, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo today, Thursday, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, NEC said that there is need “to set up a Federal Project Coordinating Unit comprising officers from the collaborating entities (Federal, States and PCFRR), to be headed by a Director. This is to identify locations for critical actions and realistic cost estimates, and implement the flood prevention, mitigation and preparedness programme.”
NEC approved a project cost sharing of 30 each percent by the federal governments and while PCFRR will contribute 40 percent to what it called ‘identified projects.”

The resolution was arrived after considering the presentation of details of increase in flood by the minister of State for the Environment, which he said had continue to increase due to many factors, among which are excessive prolonged rainfalls, siltation of existing streams, human manipulation of drainage basins, undeveloped drainages, poor urban planning and dam collapse, etc.
“It is estimated that about 20% of the population is at risk from one form of flooding or another, resulting in property damages and loss of lives annually – climate change projections indicate that there may be greater risk of flooding in the years ahead.
“Natural causes of flood are beyond human control, but human  manipulation/ human induced situation can either be prevented or at least have their impact mitigated.
“Enormous resources towards flood disaster mitigation have been committed by Government at all levels, however the menace continues unabated.  There is need for a paradigm shift in the approach to solve the annual negative experience, hence the need for suggestive approaches for an efficient and effective collaboration among stakeholders.”