The Jigawa state government says it has earmarked N4.2 billion to fast-track flood mitigation and emergency response services to the disaster.
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 flooding in the state.
“The state government under the SEMA has set aside N4 billion, and each of the 27 LGAs contributed N11 million last month for prevention and emergency response against the NiMet predictions on the disaster,” he said.
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 committees, he said, comprising 20 members, have 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 JISEPA, said the agency conducted flood preparedness and environmental sanitation campaigns, as well as sensitized 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.
“As an agency, we are using this medium to appeal to people to support the government efforts in reducing or preventing the impact of the flood in case it occurs because prevention is better than cure,” he said.
Additionally, Hannafi Yakubu, Executive Secretary of SEMA, warned against the dumping of waste in 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 representatives from the federal and state fire services, security agencies, humanitarian actors, and others.
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