By Segun Adegboyega
In an effort to mitigate the impact of flood and create enabling environment for proper data collection and information gathering, the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency and other critical stakeholders have officially opened Emergency Operation Centre at the Office of the Kogi State Deputy Governor, Lokoja.
In his address, the Executive Secretary of Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (KOSEMA), Alhaji Mouktar Atimah, highlighted that the Emergency Operation Centre has been opened according to the order by His Excellency, the Chief Servant of the state, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, in order to pave way for the agency to be able to collate data and information on incidents in flood affected areas to enable the state and federal governments take necessary actions.
Speaking further, the Executive Secretary explained that 42 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps have been mapped out across the nine Local Government Areas of the state for an impending flood.
“The Kogi State Government has set up an Emergency Operation Centre in Lokoja to reduce the impact of this year’s impending flood in the State. As we speak, 42 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps have been mapped out across the nine Local Government Areas of the state prone to flooding.” He emphasized.
Alhaji Mouktar named Lokoja, Kogi, Ofu, Ibaji, Ajaokuta, Bassa, Omala, Igalamela, and Idah local government areas as those predicted by NIMET and other affiliate agencies to be experiencing devasting effects of flooding in 2025.
He, therefore, urged people living close to the riverside in these predicted local government areas to be at alert, stressing that there was no lives lost in 2024, but the 2012 and 2022 flooding incidents in Kogi State remains a thing of concern to all stakeholders in the state.
He appealed for the collaboration of relevant agencies such as security and health workers in case of the event of the devastating flood.
Giving a report of 2024 flood, the Director Relief, Kogi State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Siyaka Sunday explained that 1,000,603 households were affected by flooding in Kogi State, stressing that the data had raised concerns for various stakeholders in the state as all hands must be on deck to reduce the impact in the state.
He emphasized that 26 IDP camps were opened last year for the vulnerables across the nine affected local government areas, adding that the relief materials from the state, federal, and NGOs were judiciously distributed across the affected areas.
In attendance were Director Information Services, Ministry of Information and Communications, Alhaji Ademu Seidu Haruna; Controller Kogi State Fire Agency, Sule Rabi; Deputy Commandant, Arowolo Michael, HOD Disaster and Crisis Management, Kogi NSCDC; the Special Adviser on Emergency to Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Shuaibu; Special Adviser on IDPs to Kogi State Governor, Hon. Jimbo, as well as the Management staff of Kogi State Emergency Management Agency and representative from Ministry of Health, Dr Gabriel Atuluku, state Security Service, Red Cross, International Organisation on Migration, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Livestock, Nigerian Police Force, and other critical stakeholders.
Adegboyega Segun,
Information Officer,
MOI&C.
