King Charles III has written to President Muhammadu Buhari to express his condolences for the recent flooding in Nigeria, calling the events “devastating.”
The United Kingdom’s royal ruler, King Charles III via a statement seen by The Herald said that “Your Excellency, Dear Mr President, I wanted you to know how deeply saddened both my wife and I are to hear of the many people who have lost their loved ones and whose lives have been so dreadfully affected as a consequence of the devastating floods across Nigeria.
“We remember with the greatest affection our visits to Nigeria and the kindness of the people we met.”
The King also reminded President Buhari about the United Kingdom’s readiness to stand with and help Nigeria “However inadequate this may be under such tragic circumstances, our most heartfelt sympathy is with all those who have suffered so much, and our thoughts are with those working to support the recovery efforts.
“I know that the United Kingdom stands in solidarity with Nigeria as you recover from these truly terrible events.”
Flood impact
The Herald reports that as at Sunday, over 600 people had died as a result of the recent flooding in Nigeria.
According to a statement released on Twitter by Nigeria’s ministry of humanitarian affairs, the disaster had also forced more than 1.3 million people to flee their homes.
“Unfortunately, as of today, October 16, 2022, over 603 lives have been lost,” said Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq.
The previous week’s toll was 500, but the minister said the numbers had risen in part because some state governments had not prepared for the floods.
Flood relief materials
Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, announced that the Federal Government has begun distributing 12,000 Metric Tonnes of food and non-food items to states devastated by the recent floods.
On October 15, 2022, the Anambra state government received 7,350 nylon mats, 1,000 treated mosquito nets, 600 cartons of bathing soap, 2,500 pieces of guinea brocade (5 yards each), 1,000 pieces of brand new children’s wears, 1,000 pieces of brand new women’s wears, and 1,000 pieces of brand new men’s wears.
In addition, the state will receive 1,400 bags of 10kg rice, 1,400 bags of 10kg beans, 1,400 bags of 10kg maize, 75 bags of salt (20kg), 75 kegs of vegetable oil (20ltrs), 100 cartons of seasoning, and 75 cartons of tinned tomatoes (50 sachets per carton).
The Minister, who was represented by the Director Humanitarian Affairs, Alhaji Ali Grema, stated that efforts were being increased to address the country’s flooding challenges.
“You are all aware of the widespread floods that have been ravaging many States, Local Governments and Communities in Nigeria. The scale of devastation of the present flood situation in the country can only be compared to the 2012 floods.
“More than 500 lives have been lost, more than 1.4M persons affected, about 90,000 homes either partially or completely destroyed and still counting.
“Also destroyed are thousands of hectares of farmland which has worsened fears of a disruption of food supply in Africa’s most populous country. These widespread cases are in 27 out of 36 States and the FCT.
“As we reflect on the present flood situation in Nigeria, let us consider the focus of the 2022 Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction IDDRR.
“While we shall not apportion blames, we need to acknowledge the fact that we all had enough warnings and our advocacy was timely. However, communities must recognize that all disasters are local and they must take climate predictions and flood outlook warnings seriously.
“We can not out rightly eliminate flood but we can keep people safe. That responsibility is collectively ours,” she added.
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