The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) on Tuesday called on the Nigerian government to adopt proactive and holistic strategies to prevent recurrences of recent floods in Mokwa, Niger.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the flood, which followed intense rainfall at about 3:00 am on May 29, displaced more than 3,000 residents, destroyed homes and livelihoods.
The flood also reportedly claimed more than 100 lives, with many still unaccounted for.
Mokwa, a key transit town in North Central Nigeria, has been thrown into mourning.
Describing the disaster as “a horrendous recurring decimal,” HOMEF’s Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, condemned the lack of preparedness and failing infrastructure that continued to exacerbate flood risks across the country.
Bassey through a statement by Kome Odhomor, Media/Communication Lead of the foundation in Benin, said there was no word to describe the lack of preparedness and our ill-maintained infrastructure.
The renowned environmentalist, however, expressed deep sympathy to the victims of the devastating flood.
“Combined with insecurity and more rainfall forecasted, the displacement crisis will only worsen.
“It is time to declare an environmental state of emergency across Nigeria,” he said.
The director warned that if urgent steps were not taken, entire communities in flood-prone areas could disappear.
While acknowledging the early warnings issued by agencies like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Bassey criticised the government’s consistent failure to act on such forecasts.
“Forecasts become meaningless if we don’t make provisions to move and resettle people on higher, safer ground. Emergency preparedness is not optional, it is critical.
“We sympathise with the affected families and stand in solidarity with every impacted community,” he said.
Also, HOMEF’s Programme Manager for Fossil Politics, Stephen Oduware, added that Nigeria could no longer afford the cycle of reactionary and palliative responses that follow every flood disaster.
“The rains are just beginning, and already we are seeing signs of more flash floods.
“Apart from the usual handouts and post-disaster sympathy, what concrete plans are in place to prevent such predicted rainfall from becoming another catastrophe?,” Oduware questioned.
He noted that flooding was not just a climate change consequence but also a result of unplanned urban growth and poor emergency systems.
“Floods leave a trail of destruction – lives lost, livelihoods crushed, and communities uprooted. We must begin to act before, not after, disaster strikes,” he added.
Odhomor concluded that HOMEF was calling on all relevant agencies to operate in a synchronised, coordinated manner, ensuring both immediate relief and long-term flood mitigation strategies are in place.
The organisation also urged investment in climate-resilient infrastructure and the protection of natural habitats and wetlands.
“Only by addressing the root causes – climate change, poor planning, and lack of preparedness, can Nigeria break this dangerous cycle,” Odhomor said. (NAN)
