The House of Representatives has requested that President Muhammadu Buhari make a N100 billion request to address the effects of flooding.
The resolution was passed during a plenary session on Monday, following a motion of urgent public importance introduced by Henry Nwawuba and Isiaka Ibrahim.
They asked Buhari to propose a N100 billion supplementary budget, and they also directed the House Committee on Appropriations to include N200 billion in the 2023 budget.
Furthermore, the lower chamber directed the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to release N5 billion for environmental funds to mitigate the effects of flooding.
Nwawuba, who introduced the motion, stated that the country risks food insecurity if the government does not take proactive action through careful intervention.
He claimed that the flooding had a negative impact on the prices of certain agricultural products. He cautioned that certain industries might be impacted.
“Flooding affected 32 of 36 states in 2012, killing 363 people, displacing over 2.1 million people, affecting approximately N7 million people, and causing a total loss estimate of N2.6 trillion.”
“By 2022, 33 of 36 states and the FCT will be affected, accounting for 92% of the total country, with over 600 people killed.” Over 1.4 million people have been displaced, and over 2.5 million people require humanitarian assistance, with children constituting more than 60% of the total.”
