The Jigawa state government has earmarked N4.2 billion to fast-track flood mitigation and emergency response services in the disaster area.
Dr Abdullahi Sa’id, Chairman of the Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), said this on Wednesday during a town hall meeting in Ringim, the headquarters of the Ringim Local Government Area of the state.
The meeting is being organised by the Jigawa State Environmental Protection Agency (JISEPA) and the Jigawa State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
Jigawa is one of the states predicted to experience floods this rainy season, according to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s (NiMet) 2025 Seasonal Climate Predictions (SCP).
Sa’id said the fund has been appropriated to mitigate floods and enhance emergency response in 21 LGAs predicted to experience floods in the state.
He said the state government also established LEMCs, to be headed by the Vice Chairman of each of the 27 LGCs, to ensure effective prevention and response against emergencies.
The committee, he said, comprising 20 members, has been mandated to coordinate flood mitigation through public enlightenment and desilting exercises in communities, to ease water flow during the rainy season.
Mr Adamu Sabo, the Managing Director of the JISEPA, said the agency conducted flood preparedness and environmental sanitation campaigns as well as sensitised communities and stakeholders to contribute their quota towards flood mitigation.
Sabo described the exercise as a ‘live and property saving effort,’ and urged residents to avoid acts capable of causing a flood.
He said the state government was dredging rivers to ease water flow in riverine communities that might be affected by the release of excess water from the Tiga, Bagauda, and Challawa dams in Kano State.
He urged the participants to step down the message to their respective communities to avert the disaster.
Additionally, Hannafi Yakubu, Executive Secretary of SEMA, warned against the dumping of waste on waterways to prevent flooding.
The Emir of Ringim, Alhaji Sayyadi Mahmud, commended the gesture, adding that it would encourage early flood mitigation in the communities.
Alhaji Nasiru Isa-Mahmud represented Mahmud.
The exercise was attended by the representatives of the federal and state fire services, security agencies, and humanitarian actors, among others.
