There are strong indications that the prices of food items may continue to rise due to the devastating floods that have ravaged most states and washed away farms and destroyed people’s properties.
Farmers in different parts of the country have lamented that the floods have sunk their investments as they warned that if government failed to intervene quickly, there would be food scarcity in 2023.
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development revealed that the flood had led to the death of over 500 persons, with about 45,249 houses destroyed and 70,566 hectares of farmland destroyed.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Sani Gwarzo, told journalists on Tuesday that the flood was comparable only to the 2012 flood in terms of human displacement, livelihood disruption, infrastructure damage and environmental dislocation. He said the National Emergency Management Agency confirmed that as of October 9, the water level at Lokoja and Makurdi along Rivers Niger and Benue was 11 per cent above that of 2012.
“So far, the flood has wreaked havoc in 31 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Over 500 persons are reported dead; 1,411,051 persons affected; 790,254 displaced persons with 1,546 persons injured. Furthermore, 44,099 houses are partially damaged; 45,249 houses damaged; 76,168 hectares of farmland partially damaged and 70,566 hectares of farmland are destroyed by the great deluge.”
Meanwhile, in Nasarawa State, where over 400,000 residents have been displaced, some farmers told Sunday PUNCH that crops worth millions of naira had been washed away.
A farmer in Tunga community in Awe Local Government Area of the state, Ibrahim Jibrin, told one of our correspondents that he lost his farm to the flood.
