President Bola Tinubu has ordered Vice President Kashim Shettima to promptly travel to Maiduguri, Borno, in response to the severe flooding affecting the state capital.
On Tuesday, in Abuja, Mr. Shettima made this announcement during the 17th Annual Banking and Finance Conference (CIBN), which was centered around the theme “Accelerated Economic Growth and Development: Current Status and Future Directions.”
”After this meeting with the consent of the President, I will rush to Maiduguri. The whole city has been overtaken by flood.
“It is not peculiar to one part of the country. We are facing this challenges right from Bayelsa to Sokoto.
“Be rest assured that the President has the nation at heart and will do whatever it takes to salvage the state of affairs,”
“I want to use this forum to commiserate with the people of our great nation over the flood disasters we are recording all across the length and breath of this nation,” he said.
Residents fled their homes following the devastating flood in the state capital.
The Alau Dam, which has been at full capacity for the past week, reportedly collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday.
The areas most affected include Fori, Galtimari, Gwange, and Bulabulin.
Wild animals, including snakes, crocodiles and ostriches, were flooded out of their enclosures at the state zoo and into the streets.
In a statement on Tuesday, Usman Tar, the state commissioner for information and internal security, issued a flooding alert, urging the immediate evacuation of those living along the riverbanks.
NAN reports that the last time the dam collapsed was in 1994, which led to unprecedented flooding in Maiduguri, with nearly half of the town submerged.
