- In 2017, floods affected 250,000 People in Benue, Kogi, Niger and Plateau states, and other parts of Nigeria.
DISTINGUISHED SENATOR ABBA MORO LEAD DEBATE ON NORTH CENTRAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (NCDC) BILL
He reads…
Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues.
May I humbly seek your leave to lead the debate on this very important Bill.
The Bill was read for the first time in this Hallowed Chamber on November 19, 2019.
Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, the North Central Zone of Nigeria, in no particular order, comprises the following geopolitical States of the Federation; Kogi, Niger, Benue, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Over the past years, Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, the North Central Zone of Nigeria has been devastated and left in bollix by the noxious antics of terrorists, incidents of flood and erosion, insurgency, herder/farmer clashes, poverty, high rate of illiteracy, to mention but a few.
The Zone is blessed with several mineral resources that can boost the economy of Nigeria if properly harnessed. However, because of the breeding mentioned above, the North Central Zone is handicapped and cannot do much in this regard.
May I mention here, Mr. President, that the North Central Zone of Nigeria hosts two of West Africa’s great rivers;(a) The River Niger and (b) The River Benue, which flows into Nigeria from The Republic of Cameroon. The two rivers meet in North central Nigeria and flow as one river on to the Atlantic Ocean. However, the presence of these two rivers has made flood a perennial challenge in the region with increasing intensity every year, leaving not just the North Central Zone but the entire Country with great losses and trauma.
Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, according to statistics from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency;
*In 2012, devastating flooding forced two million Nigerians from their homes and 363 died in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi states.
*In 2016, 92,000 people were displaced and 38 died from incidents of flood in Benue, Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa States, and other parts of Nigeria.