Torrential rains has unleashed floods in different parts of Nigeria over the past few days, killing at least 100 people and damaging thousands of homes, according to officials.
A national disaster was declared in four states – Kogi, Niger, Anambra and Delta – over the flooding, meaning that the federal government had taken over the search, rescue and rehabilitation of victims.
“Based on the data available, 100 people have so far died in 10 states,” Sani Datti, spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Monday
Delta is an oil producing state in the Niger Delta region, home to Africa’s biggest energy industry, where the Niger river fans into creeks before emptying itself into the Atlantic. There has been no reported impact on crude oil production.
Kogi and Niger are states in the centre of the country whereas the other two are in southern regions.
Nigeria’s rainy season, which typically runs from March to September, brings with it inevitable flooding.
Such flooding is exacerbated by poor infrastructure and lack of planning to protect against the waters, but this year the destruction has been the worst since 2012.
At least 140 people were killed and tens of thousands forced to abandon their homes that year, in Nigeria’s worst flooding in more than five decades.
SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies
