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Flood disasters:Atiku decries poor use of Ecological
Funds
Newsdiaryonline Thur June 23,2011
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for better
management of Ecological Funds to stem the impact of natural
disasters.
Reacting to reports of flood disasters in Kano, Lagos, Ogun and
other states, the former Vice President suggested that state
governments put to better use Ecological Funds made available to
them.
He recalled an observation he made while in office that those
Ecological Funds were usually not applied to the purposes
intended.
Atiku noted that so much disaster had already been experienced
at the period of the on-set of the raining season.
According to him, the observation made by the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) that “most states appear ill-prepared
to be proactive in dealing with natural disasters” was very apt,
considering that emergency management bodies in most states are
not well provided for.
He explained that with drainage system not working and
priorities put into wrong order, flood waters would attack with
vengeance and render people homeless or displaced.
“With flood waters finding no means of escape through effective
drainage system, the people would be put at risk of such natural
disasters,” he said.
Atiku said although natural disaster is inevitable, good
policies, proactive measures, and efficient use of resources can
significantly reduce the impact of floods.
He observed that even at this stage, a number of measures can
still be put in place to forestall the doomsday forecasts of
weather experts.
The former Vice President also called for improving the quality
of dams being constructed in the country, noting that long-term
safety considerations should always guide policy formulation.
“Cutting corners over issues dealing with public safety should
be discarded in the face of challenges facing the country,” he
said.
He commended NEMA for the efforts it is making but advised that
even the agency needs to be helped in terms of manpower and
facilities.
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