Expect more rains, flooding from Sept 27

WITH the 2012 flooding which decimated everything in its path still fresh in every mind, Nigerians have again been warned to brace up for heavier rains and their attendant flooding. Thirty states of the federation will suffer the most, the Director General of Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET), Mr. Anthony Anuforo, has revealed. He added that Lagos in particular, and other parts of the country would be inundated with flood water starting from September 27, 2013. He harped on the essence of heeding to early warnings to help prevent fatalities and possibly reduce other losses that might occur.
The 2012 massive flooding, which virtually left Nigerians agonising had begun when many parts of the country started ex­periencing light showers. But gradually, the rains began pour­ing down in thick sheets and within 24 hours, the flood waters had swollen up, swallowing ev­erything in its path and forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. The disasters were worsen by the said release of waters from a dam in Cameroon, forcing the major rivers to receive excess water which could not flow in their normal channels. People living at the banks of major riv­ers and plains bore the brunt of the furry of the disaster following the overflow of the rivers. Many lives were lost while fears of pos­sible food crisis were raised. The water stretched farther than the eyes could see, ferociously eating up farm lands, houses and other investments.
Some 1.3 million Nigerians were displaced and 431 died in what the authorities said was the worst flooding in over 40 years, with 30 of the country’s 36 states affected, according to the Na­tional Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
The Nigerian Red Cross (NRC) said the unprecedented flood sub­merged much of Delta and Bay­elsa states, affecting some 350 communities and making 120,000 people homeless. The authorities said the flood was largely as a result of the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in neighbouring Cameroon, which swelled the Benue and Niger rivers, inundat­ing agrarian communities.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in July and October of that year, an estimated 431 lives were lost, 1.3 million people dis­placed and 152,575 hectares of farmland were destroyed as major rivers like the Niger, the conti­nent’s third longest, ballooned and burst their banks.
Heeding NIMET’s early warn­ing signals, for Mr. Anuforo, was a good step towards avoiding a repetition of the 2012 ugly sce­nario. He said massive flooding was bound to occur, assuring of the accuracy and timeliness of NIMET’s warnings, insisting that there were dangers inherent in ignoring them.
These critical issues were part of discussions during the inau­guration ceremony held for the Medium Level Technicians and Observers on the field at the NI­MET Regional Training Centre, Cappa, Oshodi.
The participants, drawn from different NIMET locations across the country and housed at the training centre, were trained extensively for days on how to conform with the ever-changing dynamics in the field.
The NIMET DG, still reiterating the importance of NIMET’s prediction to Nigeria’s safety, also noted that of late, different parts of the country have been experiencing chilly weather instead of normal sunshine, delayed rainfall and sudden onset of heavy rain that caused extensive flooding as well as drought. These, he stressed were empirical observations that indicated weather pattern change and shift in time of occurrence of seasons even as he strongly attributed them to the manifestations of climate change.
“The effect of climate change is everywhere and they can mostly be noticed in the changing weather patterns we are used to over the years. The important thing for us at the agency is to predict accurately, using the latest technology we are abreast of. On the part of the citizenry, there is need to adopt an environmentally-friendly life style that would keep the environment safe,” he said.
While welcoming the participants, the NIMET boss disclosed that the event would make it the second time he would be in Lagos, within the year to address students undergoing training and capacity building. He noted that earlier in the year, he was around to inaugurate the training of 120-newly enlisted numerological technicians, adding that those presently undergoing training were last trained two years ago.
The DG noted that there was no perfection in anything done by humans but that the agency was doing its best to have on-the-field, well- trained personal abreast with international best practice, as their work was a highly-skilled job which nobody could just dabble into.
While reiterating the importance of the agency in a functional society, he stressed that NIMET’s duty was very critical as it related to safety of humans. He noted that for people working at the airport, weather forecasters and other units, if their data collation was wrong, every other thing would go wrong automatically.
Highlighting the challenges faced by NIMET, the DG lamented that like in other agencies, the problem of aging work force had become an issue, as many skilled personnel were leaving the workforce in droves. He disclosed that this year alone, about 72 staff would leave the service of NIMET, adding that many of the personnel were presently in their prime of service. This challenge, he explained, made it expedient to ensure that the young ones were trained to fill the vacuum created, to ensure that the system did not ground to a halt or suffer.
“The strategy now is to fast-track you to take up this sensitive responsibility. By the nature of what we do, the system or technology changes fast. Some of the coding systems have been modified. So, for you to be relevant and up to the rated international standard, you have to undergo this intense refresher course,” Mr. Anuforo said.
The NIMET boss further explained that the training of personnel started about four years ago, mainly to take on those who had last been trained about 25 to 35 years ago. About 207 staff, he said, had been trained so far, noting that 33 were presently undergoing training, while another 80 that would join later to bring the total figure of trainees to 250. The DG noted that though the agency was facing the challenging of funding, it would try as much as possible to cover the entire staff across the 50 locations across the country.
Mr. Anuforo further disclosed that NIMET had initiated a commercialisation initiative to generate more revenue, but noted that the effort would not yield any fruit if data collated were not of any commercial value. He, thereafter, stressed the need for the agency to have plans that would drive the system.
On plans by NIMET to upgrade the agency’s facilities across the country, the DG disclosed that extensive work had began on its Oshodi training centre, and that the efforts was aimed at repositioning the agency and to give its personnel on training the best, conducive atmosphere.
While urging the participants to disassociate themselves from acts that would impede the system and not bring the agency into disrepute, he appealed to them to always make their grievances known through constructive criticism.