In a concerted effort to bolster strategic plans aimed at reducing the impact of floods in Lagos State, The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has urged critical stakeholders to take decisive actions to alleviate the prevailing flood situation in the state.
HEDA participated in a stakeholders forum, organized by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), alongside the World Bank team, to evaluate the repercussions of the 2022 Flood disaster in Lagos State and its environs. During the forum, HEDA emphasized the need for grassroots political leaders to actively engage their communities in implementing effective measures to curb the recurring flood disasters.
Representing HEDA at the stakeholders forum were Barakah Danmole, the Monitoring and Evaluation and Compliance Officer, and Sakariyah Shakiru, the Program Manager officer for Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development.
Dr. Oluwafemi Damilola Oke, the Permanent Secretary/CEO of the Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its significant and efficient contributions to emergency response efforts in Nigeria.
He underscored the importance of collecting and storing data on past flooding events, emphasizing that this approach would provide a comprehensive understanding of such incidents and aid in developing solutions to mitigate their impact in the future.
Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos Territorial Office, highlighted NEMA’s collaboration with Saudi Arabian experts to provide training for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and relevant stakeholders, including the fire service and LASEMA, focused on disaster rescue and saving lives.
He acknowledged NEMA’s limited funding as a significant challenge and mentioned that the Lagos State Commissioner of Environment is taking measures to prevent predicted flash flooding in 25 local government areas by demolishing buildings along waterways.
During the forum, Mrs. Danmole from HEDA Resource Centre presented the organization’s initiatives in climate justice and its recent flooding response under the African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) Project. This project, sponsored by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and Oxfam, involved visits to 16 states and approximately 35 communities across Nigeria between September and November 2023.
