Natural disasters in Nigeria

Natural disasters in Nigeria are mainly related to the climate of Nigeria, which has been reported to cause loss of lives and properties. A natural disaster might be caused by flooding, landslides, and insect infestation, among others. To be classified as a disaster, there needs to be a profound environmental effect or human loss and must lead to financial loss. This occurrence has become an issue of concern, threatening large populations living in diverse environments in recent years.

Nigeria has encountered several forms of disaster, which range from flooding, soil and coastal erosion, landslides, tidal waves, coastal erosion, sand-storms, oil spillage, locust/insect infestations, and other man-made disasters. It can be said that the country's under protected and expansive environment contributed to making the people especially vulnerable to these disasters. Other dangers include northern dust storms, which is usually from northern states to southern; causing damages through large deposits of dust and dirt from these regions. Hail is another cause, which rarely occurs in parts of Nigeria, leading to damage of crops and properties.[1][2]

Types

Drought

The drought of 1972 and 1973 was attributed to the death of 13% of animals in the north-eastern Nigeria and an annual agricultural yield loss of more than 50%.[3]

The rainfall trend between 1960 and 1990 in northeast Nigeria has steadily declined by about 8 mm/year.[4]

Nigeria's most recent drought was between 1991 and 1995.[4]

Rainfall in northeastern Nigeria between the period 1994 to 2004 shows that the total annual rainfall range from 500 to over 1000 mm.[4]

Drought problem is accelerating desertification: 63.83% of total land is impinge on by desertification. [5]

Flood

Recurrent flood in different parts of Nigeria had led to considerable socio-economic damage, injury and loss of life. Some of the negative consequences of flood include loss of human life, damage to properties, public transportation systems, power supply, crops, and livestock.[6]

2022
This section is an excerpt from 2022 Nigeria floods.[edit]
Map of Nigeria

The 2022 Nigeria floods affected many parts of the country. From the Federal Government Data, the floods had displaced over 1.4 million people, killed over 603 people, and injured more than 2,400 persons. About 82,035 houses had been damaged, and 332,327 hectares of land had also been affected.[7]

While Nigeria typically experiences seasonal flooding, this flood was the worst in the country since the 2012 floods.[8]

2021

In August, a flood happened in Adamawa state, affecting 79 communities in 16 local government areas. Reports says that seven people lost their lives and about 74,713 others displaced became homeless;[9][10] While 150 farmlands and about 66 houses were destroyed according to Adamawa state Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA).[11]

2020

In 2020, 68 people died and 129,000 people were displaced due to the 2020 flood incidences. This is according to the NEMA Director-General, Muhammadu Muhammed.[12][13]

2017

The 2017 Benue State flooding took place in September 2017 in Central Nigeria.[14] Weeks of rainfall led to flash floods, discharges and river flowing in Benue State. It displaced 100,000 people,[15][16] and damaged around 2,000 homes.[17]

2012
This section is an excerpt from 2012 Nigeria floods.[edit]
The 2012 Nigeria floods began in early July 2012. It killed 363 people and displaced over 2.1 million people as of 5 November 2012. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 30 of Nigeria's 36 states were affected by the floods. The floods were termed as the worst in 40 years,[18] and affected an estimated total of seven million people.[19] The estimated damages and losses caused by the floods was N2.6 trillion.[20]

2010

Around 1000 residents of Lagos and Ogun states region of Nigeria were displaced due to flood associated with heavy rainfalls, which was further exacerbated by the release of water from the Oyan Dam into the Ogun River[21]

About 250,000 Nigerians were affected by the flooding in 2016, while 92,000 were affected in 2017[22]

2023

On 3 March 2023, there was a heavy downpour and rainstorm in Oke-Ako in the Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State. The situation lasted for over two hours and destroyed about 105 houses. The heavy downpour of rain also destroyed some electricity infrastructure across the town, subjecting the residents to total blackout.[23]

The Ekiti State governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, through his deputy Mrs. Monisade Afuye, described the incidents as devastating and assured the victims that government would give all the necessary support to mitigate whatever effect this situation must have caused them. [24]

Emergency management

National Emergency Relief Agency (NERA)

The National Emergency Relief Agency (NERA) was created by Decree 48 of 1976 in response to a devastating flood incidence between 1972 and 1973.[25][26] NERA was a post disaster management agency with sole focus on coordination and distribution of relief material to disaster victims.[26][3]

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
This section is an excerpt from National Emergency Management Agency (Nigeria).[edit]

The National Emergency Management Agency is an agency in Nigeria.[27] The agency focuses on disaster management in all parts of the country.[27] The agency was established in 1999,[28] and functions to formulate policies relating to disaster management in Nigeria.

Director generals included:

  • Muhammad Sani-Sidi
  • Abbas Idriss[29]
The agency coordinates with state-level emergency agencies called States’ Emergency Management Agencies, such as the Edo State Emergency Management Agency. These agencies were authorized by the NEMA act which created the national service.[30] As of 2011, 26 of the 36 states of Nigeria had state level agencies.[31]

National Disaster Management Framework of Nigeria(NDMF)

The National Disaster Management Framework of Nigeria (NDMF) framework was created in 2010 to serve as legal instruments to guide stakeholders' engagement with respect disaster management in Nigeria.[32] It was created to foster effective and efficient disaster management among Federal, State and Local Governments, Civil Society Organizations and the private sector. NDMF has 7 focus areas and a sufficiency criteria, namely:

See also

References
  1. "Katsina residents panic over two-day hailstone". Punch Newspapers. 2022-09-12. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
  2. pulse.ng. "It's raining ice in Abuja and residents are over the moon". Pulse.ng.
  3. Disaster management and data needs in Nigeria (PDF). 2014.
  4. "Federal Republic of Nigeria" (PDF). knowledge.unccd.int. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  5. Olagunju, T. E. (2015). Drought, desertification and the Nigerian environment: A review. Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment, 7(7), 196-209.
  6. Ajumobi, Victor Emeka; Womboh, SooveBenki; Ezem, Sebhaziba Benjamin (January 2023). "Impacts of the 2022 Flooding on the Residents of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria" (PDF). Greener Journal of Environmental Management and Public Safety. 11 (1): 1–6.
  7. Oguntola, Tunde (2022-10-17). "2022 Flood: 603 Dead, 1.3m Displaced Across Nigeria – Federal Govt". Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  8. Maclean, Ruth (17 October 2022). "Nigeria Floods Kill Hundreds and Displace Over a Million". The New York Times.
  9. "7 killed, 74,000 displaced by flood in Adamawa". Vanguard News. 2021-08-26. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  10. Ochetenwu, Jim (2021-08-26). "Floods claim 7, displaces 74, 713 Adamawa people in 2 weeks". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  11. "Flood sacks Adamawa community, destroys 150 farmlands, 66 houses". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2021-08-14. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  12. "Flooding affects 129,000 across Nigeria, kills 68 — NEMA". 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  13. "Floods killed 68, displaced 129, 000 in 35 states, FCT, in 2020 — NEMA". Vanguard News. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  14. "More than 100,000 displaced by flooding in central Nigeria". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  15. "Nigeria – Thousands Displaced by Floods in Benue State – FloodList". floodlist.com. Copernicus. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  16. Al Jazeera (1 September 2017). "Nigeria floods displace more than 100,000 people". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  17. "Flood Hits Makurdi, Ravages Over 2,000 Homes • Channels Television". Channels Television. 2017-08-27. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
  18. "NIGERIA: Worst flooding in decades". IRIN Africa. October 10, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  19. "Nigeria floods test government's disaster plans". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  20. "2012 flood disaster cost Nigeria N2.6tn –NEMA". punchng.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  21. Olanrewaju, Caroline C.; Chitakira, Munyaradzi; Olanrewaju, Oludolapo A.; Louw, Elretha (2019-04-18). "Impacts of flood disasters in Nigeria: A critical evaluation of health implications and management". Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies. 11 (1): 557. doi:10.4102/jamba.v11i1.557. ISSN 2072-845X. PMC 6494919. PMID 31061689.
  22. "Nigeria Struggling to Cope With Rising Natural Disasters". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
  23. "Ekiti: Rainstorm wreaks havoc, destroys 105 buildings, several homeless". 7 March 2023.
  24. "Many homeless as rainstorm destroys houses in Ekiti". 5 March 2023.
  25. Sadiq, Abdul-Akeem (2012). "19". A Look at Nigeria's Bourgeoning Emergency Management System: Challenges, Opportunities, and Recommendations for Improvement. FEMA, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
  26. Olanrewaju, Caroline C.; Chitakira, Munyaradzi; Olanrewaju, Oludolapo A.; Louw, Elretha (2019). "Impacts of flood disasters in Nigeria: A critical evaluation of health implications and management". Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies. 11 (1): 557. doi:10.4102/jamba.v11i1.557. ISSN 1996-1421. PMC 6494919. PMID 31061689.
  27. "NEMA, NOA and Emergency Management – Nigeria". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  28. Mashi, Sani Abubakar; Oghenejabor, Obaro Dominic; Inkani, Amina Ibrahim (2019-02-01). "Disaster risks and management policies and practices in Nigeria: A critical appraisal of the National Emergency Management Agency Act". International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 33: 253–265. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.10.011. ISSN 2212-4209. S2CID 169971718.
  29. OYOYO, IGHO (2021-09-26). "Trademore Disaster: A Cue To Avert Future Flooding Within The FCT". Leadership News – Nigeria News, Breaking News, Politics and more. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  30. "Nigeria: NEMA appeals to States to establish disaster agencies – Nigeria". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  31. "10 States, FCT Lack Emergency Management Agencies". Nigeria A-Z Online. 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  32. Nigeria: National Disaster Framework (2010) (PDF). National Legislative Bodies / National Authorities. 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.