The federal government, on Wednesday, October 26, said that it would take about 30 years of consistent investment to be able to control the current flood menace in different parts of the country.
The minister of water resources, Suleiman Adamu, disclosed this after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by vice-president Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday.
The minister, who said he made a presentation to the council jointly with the ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development, also noted that this sort of disaster cannot be prevented permanently but the government can only minimise its impact, according to The Nation.
Adamu noted that despite the early warning system in place, a lot of capital-intensive initiatives still need to be done in the future to avert the consequences of flood disasters, adding that it is not something that can be achieved under one administration.
He added that the Buhari-led administration was already working on a flood management masterplan that will take at least thirty years to complete.
Adamu, while noting that flood victims ignored warnings to evacuate, also blamed tree felling and degraded soil for the massive impact of this year’s floods in the country.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, on October 24, gave Adamu three months to develop a comprehensive action plan for the prevention of flood disasters displacing thousands across Nigeria.
This development came amid the devastating flood that has submerged some parts of the country, rendering millions of people homeless and destroying properties
With over 600 people dead, the flood has been described as one of the most devastating experiences in recent history, destroying properties worth billions of naira.