The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s sponsored agency, Royal Heritage Health Foundation (RHHF) said no fewer than 826,403 people were affected by flooding in Nigeria.

UNFPA Programme Manager, Osime Esther, who disclosed this in Lokoja on Friday during a one-day stakeholders meeting on flood response, said nearly a quarter of a million households in Nigeria were at risk after heavy rainfall which flooded 80% of the country.

While making an overview of the 2018 flooding in Kogi State, Assistant Chief Executive of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Mr John Austin, lamented that the data the agency would have utilised for intervention was over bloated by “unaffected flood victims” as a result of high poverty index.

The agency, Mr Austin reiterated, was equally confronted with the issue of some government functionaries leasing out facilities meant for genuine flood victims to cronies, relative and girlfriends.

He however, appealed to the government at all levels to foster enough political will and prepare for any possible flood occurrence.

While calling for early preparation for possible flooding yearly, the state epidemiologist, Dr Ojotule Austin said the use of local health volunteers, quick activation of referral system and treatment of minor ailments were some of the response activities that mitigated the recent flooding in the state.

•Sourced from a Daily Trust report