NIGERIA: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday visited flood-ravaged Borno State in Northeast Nigeria, amidst fresh warnings of heavy rainfalls and thunderstorms in the state and other parts of the country.
Half of the capital city of Maiduguri was overtaken by flood following a severe downpour one week earlier, with huge loss of lives and property.
President Tinubu, who visited the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garba in Maiduguri, urged a joint effort to tackle climate change while sympathising with the people of the state.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Welcome by Gov Babagana Zulum of Borno
He said, “As a government, as Nigerian people, we pledge that we will help you in the rehabilitation. It is our problem not just your problem, we must share in each other’s pains.”
“The situation that we find ourselves in the environmental problem, climate change and all of these, is what we must tackle differently, and we must educate our people”, he said.
On his way to the Shehu’s palace, the President visited the Internally Displaced Persons’ camp where he assured the flood victims of maximum support by the Federal Government.
Vice-president Kashim Shettima in an earlier visit to assess the situation, announced the federal government’s donation of N30 billion to help the state deal with the effect of the flood.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecasted thundery and rainy weather conditions in Borno and other parts of the North from Tuesday through Thursday across the country.
NiMet`s weather outlook released on Monday in Abuja forecasts thunderstorms across most states in the north, including, Katsina, Adamawa, Taraba and Kaduna states during the morning hours on Tuesday.
“In the North Central region, thunderstorms are expected over parts of Kogi, Benue, Plateau, Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa and Niger states during the morning hours. Later in the day, thunderstorms are expected over the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Benue and Nasarawa states.
“In the southern region, there are prospects of moderate rains over parts of Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers and Bayelsa states during the morning hours.”
