The federal government has stated that it will take at least 30 years of consistent investments to be able to control the reoccurring flood incidents in the country.
The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, stated this on Wednesday, while briefing state house correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which was presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The position of the Minister comes, less than 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari, gave the ministers of water resources, transportation and other stakeholders a 90 day ultimatum to develop a masterplan to check cases of flooding in the country.
The Minister, speaking on a joint presentation to FEC by his ministry and that of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, said despite the early warning system in place, a lot of capital-intensive initiatives still needs to be done in future to avert the consequences of flood disasters.
Adamu speaking further, noted that the investments that would prevent flood are not something that can be achieved under one administration, adding that flood cannot be prevented but can only be minimized by the government.
He further revealed that the present administration is already working on a flood management masterplan that will take at least three years to complete.
The Minister went further to state that many flood victims ignored warnings to evacuate.
Recall that as at the last count, the floods is estimated to have killed 612 persons and displaced over 1.4 million.
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