The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has reinforced its partnership with the Kogi State Government to improve flood preparedness and emergency response as the rainy season heightens flood risks across the state.
The commitment was reaffirmed during a meeting in Lokoja between the Head of NEMA’s Abuja Operations Office, Zakari Abubakar, and Kogi State Deputy Governor, Salifu Oyibo.
Abubakar stressed the importance of stronger collaboration among government agencies, security organisations, humanitarian groups, traditional institutions, the media and local communities to ensure effective disaster management.
He also highlighted the need for continuous public awareness campaigns, timely dissemination of early warning information, pre-positioning of emergency supplies and coordinated evacuation plans for vulnerable communities.
He assured the state government of NEMA’s continued support in protecting lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure from flood-related disasters.
In his response, Deputy Governor Oyibo praised NEMA for its consistent support through flood preparedness campaigns, emergency interventions and capacity-building programmes.
He described the agency as a dependable partner in strengthening the state’s resilience against disasters and pledged the government’s commitment to implementing flood mitigation measures and improving emergency response systems.
The renewed collaboration follows forecasts from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), which identified Kogi as one of the states at high risk of flooding due to its location at the confluence of the Rivers Niger and Benue.
Both agencies have urged proactive measures to reduce the impact of flooding on vulnerable communities.
