A final comprehensive assessment of total losses resulting from the 2012 flooding which ravaged many states of the federation has shown that Nigeria lost a total of N2.6 trillion.
Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Muhammed Sani Sidi made this known while addressing the 4th Global Forum on Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland at the weekend.
The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is the the world’s foremost gathering of stakeholders committed to reducing disaster risk and building the resilience of communities and nations.
Sani Sidi said “The comprehensive Post Disaster Needs Assessment conducted from November 2012 – March 2013 with the support of the World Bank and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), United Nations, Development partners and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies put the estimated total value of infrastructure, physical and durable assets destroyed at US$9.6 billion. The total value of losses across all sectors of economic activity was estimated at US$7.3 billion. The combined value of these damages and losses was US$16.9 billion.”
He described 2012 as one of the most challenging for Nigeria in recent history with the unprecedented flood that ravaged several states of the country, affected over seven million people, displaced 2.3 million people, killed over 363 persons and destroyed or damaged about 597,476 houses.
According to him, Nigeria as a country believes that it has the responsibility to increase the tempo of activities in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and enlist the support of every one in confronting the hazards risk in the country especially with the consequences of climate change and global warming steering everyone in the face.
“The flood was a classical case of how disasters can reverse development in a developing country like Nigeria. However the calamities wrought by the 2012 floods offer for our country an important window of opportunity to address difficulties and long-standing development issues.
“It brought all stakeholders together as never before to address the consequences of the flood, plan to reduce the vulnerability of our people and increase their resilience”, he told the gathering consisting of dignitaries from over 150 countries around the world.
Sani Sidi however, criticized some aspects of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015 which is already approaching its end especially concerning the practice of DRR at the country level.
He said consultation on Post 2015 in six geo-political zones and the Federal Capital in Nigeria gave us the indication that the participation of women and children will be critical to the successful implementation of any framework on DRR beyond 2015.
“We would want to see more participation of the people at the local level and the inclusion of conflict resolution as major area of risk reduction. The global community has indeed benefited a lot from the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015 as blue print for disaster risk reduction.
“We propose that the gap identified in the implementation of the framework in different nations should be addressed to take the benefit of the HFA beyond 2015.”
The Global Platform which is organised by United Nations’ Office for Disaster Reduction Reduction is a biennial forum for information exchange, discussion of latest development and partnership building across sectors, with the goal to improve implementation of disaster risk reduction through better communication and coordination amongst stakeholders.
Nigeria willhost the Special Representative of the Secretary General on ISDR, Margareta Wolstrom in Nigeria from 17 -19 June 2013. The visit is part of our advocacy strategy to increase political will at the highest level in disaster risk reduction, and encourage the participation and collaboration of major stakeholders in disaster risk reduction in building a resilient nation and communities.
