The Senate has urged the Federal Government to investigate the flood in Mokwa, Niger recently and similar incidents in other parts of the country.

This, according to the upper chamber, is with a view to providing long-term solutions, including improved and sustainable flood control infrastructure and early warning systems to forestall future occurrence

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the senate’s resolutions were sequel to a motion moved by Sen. Peter Jiya (PDP-Niger) and co-sponsored by no fewer than 20 senators during plenary on Tuesday.

The motion was titled: “Catastrophic Flood Disaster in Mokwa, Niger state and Need for Proactive Action to Forestall Future Occurrence.”

NAN also reports that the senate observed a minute silence in honour of those who lost their lives to the flood.

The upper legislative chamber also urged the federal government to prioritise prompt execution of the relief packages promised during the visit of the vice-president to the flood scene.

Moving the motion, Jiya recalled that on May 29 and May 30, a devastating flood swept through the town of Mokwa in Niger after a heavy rainfall.

“This resulted in unprecedented loss of lives and widespread destruction of private and public properties worth more than N10 billion.

“From the casualties recorded from the disaster, over 700 people lost their lives, including pupils from four Islamic schools but only about 300 bodies were physically accounted for.

“Critical infrastructure were not left out of the disaster, as the rail line uprooted two bridges, collapsed roads,” he said.

Jiya said that he had, in the early days of the present administration in 2023, written the Ecological Fund Office on the need to carry out urgent works on the inactive river ways in Mokwa and Kutigi towns which were prone to flooding.

“But the fund is yet to make progress in this regard in spite of earlier warnings issued by the Nigeria Metrological Agency (NIMET) of imminent heavy rainfall and flooding in vulnerable parts of the country, including Niger state,” he said.

The senator further stated that in spite of the warnings, the measures put in place by the relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to forestall the occurrence was not significantly felt.

He said that the Federal Government had responded and intervened through the visit of the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), among others.

“However, due to the magnitude of the disaster and the massive casualties recorded, the resources provided have been overwhelmed, hence the need to scale up relief intervention measures to alleviate the sufferings and hardships faced by affected victims,” he said.

Contributing, Sen. Victor Umeh (LP-Anambra) described the flood as “a very monumental tragedy to all of us as a nation.

“Mr President, this was a disaster that was to come based on warnings, as contained in this motion paper and people left what they should do.

“And this flood now came and swept away lives and property in this monumental proportion”.

According to Umeh, the situation calls for preparation by the concerned agencies to begin to put measures in place as the rains may be high in July.

Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over plenary, expressed sympathy to the government and people of Niger over the disaster. (NAN)

Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq