Flood: Bayelsa Not Among 10 Most Affected States, Jigawa Is Number One – Minster, Sadiya Farouq

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq said Bayelsa State is not among the top ten most affected states by the recent floods.

Sadiya Farouk Reveal States Affected By Flood In Nigeria

The minister made the revelation while featuring in a Media Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to her, Jigawa State is the worst hit in terms of the number of deaths recorded during the devastating floods across the country.

Farouk, who mourned the victims, said Bayelsa is not among the first 10 states with the highest number of deaths in the country, contrary to perception in some quarters.

She said the criteria used to arrive at the conclusion are based on the following indices: the number of deaths recorded and displaced persons per state, number of injuries, partially damaged, houses totally damaged, farmlands partially and totally damaged.

According to the Federal Government’s flood data as of October 24, 2022, 257,913 persons were affected in Bayelsa while 166,076 persons were affected in Jigawa.

219,471 were displaced in Bayelsa while 68,883 were displaced in Jigawa.

Number of injured persons was put at 81 and 148 for Bayelsa and Jigawa respectively. Also, 58 deaths were recorded in Bayelsa while 91 were recorded in Jigawa.

The number of houses partially damaged by floods in Bayelsa was put at 26,509 and 1,564 for Jigawa while 703 farmlands were partially damaged in Bayelsa and 3,849 affected in Jigawa.

In the 2022 flood data as at 24th October, provided by the ministry, death toll in Jigawa stood at 91, Anambra 77 while in Kogi 471,991 persons were affected with zero death.

In all, 3,219,780 Nigerians were affected nationwide, while number of displaced persons stood at 1,427,370 persons and total deaths placed at 612.

Asked about the kind of assistance the federal government would give Bayelsa State after former President Goodluck Jonathan had discussed with President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the minister said her Ministry had intervened by taking relief materials to Bayelsa in collaboration with officials of the Nigerian Air Force.

On the assertion of the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, that she was not being humane in handling the prevailing humanitarian crisis, Hajiya Sadiya said this is untrue.

She said flood disaster was a national issue, adding her ministry is carrying out its duty to the best of its ability.

“Bayelsa is not among the ten most worst hit states, Jigawa is. Merely looking at me, you know that I am humane,” she said.

The minister also announced an ongoing assessment of farmlands damaged with a view to compensating the farmers.

KanyiDaily recalls that the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu said it will take 30 years of consistent investment to control the menace of flooding in Nigeria.