A presidential committee has been Inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari to draft a thorough action plan for preventing future flood disasters in Nigeria.
On behalf of the President, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, inaugurated the committee and tasked it with completing its work with the utmost care.
He said, “I wish to charge us all to carry out this task with the utmost sense of responsibility, bearing in mind that we cannot afford to fail in this national assignment.”
Adamu also urged all stakeholders to come together to accord the committee all the assistance and cooperation it needs to achieve the desired success.
While calling on the members of the committee to be thoroughly guided by the Terms of Reference (ToR) to achieve a holistic solution to the challenges of flood in the country as directed by Mr President.
The term of reference of a three-month term includes: Assessing and reviewing existing plans and policies on the management of flood disasters in Nigeria; Identifying and working with critical Stakeholders in flood disaster management; Identifying and visiting selected strategic flood-affected and prone areas; Carry out technical evaluation of information obtained from the assessment; Liaise and work with international organisations with expertise in flood management, where necessary; and
Develop a comprehensive action plan for preventing Flood Disasters in Nigeria.
He further added that the presidential directive will be carried out under a two-tier institutional arrangement: Steering Committee and a Technical Working Group.
The steering committee is being coordinated by the Minister of Water Resources, while the Technical Working Group is headed by the Director General of the National Water Resource Institute, Prof. Emmanuel Adanu.