Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia has affirmed that the state is well in place ahead of any possible floods.
Giv. Alia disclosed this to State House correspondents after his meeting with President Bola Tinubu, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Governor said since flooding was a recurring trend in the State, the government is fully prepared ro mitigate the risks with several measures already put in place.
He confirmed that contrary to speculations that the State is not capable of handling such natural disaster. Alia said Benue is focusing on preventive measures rather than reactive planning.
“I didn’t say we are thinking on what to do when the floods come, we are not thinking, we are prepared, we are creating awareness to all our people. I had said the river requires dredging, so before the dredging there a number of things on the table , exploring to see which of the best options before the federal government comes in to support us”, he said.
Governor Alia further informed that the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is fully equipped to handle any flood-related challenges.
“So for the record we are not just waiting, we have a SEMA, an emergency management team, they have the capacity to take charge of all this and they are already quite armed. We pray that the flood doesn’t come in but if it does you know we are definitely equal to the task,” the Governor said.
The Governor however noted that some residents have turned deaf ears to the warning issued for them to evacuate the flood prone communities, assuring that government will continue to engage and appeal to them to vacate such locations.
The Benue Governor also hinted on the achievements of the state in the area of security, asserting that relative peace has now returned to the state.
This, Rev. Father Alia said has enabled farmers to return to their earlier abandoned farms occasioned by the clashes between farmers and herders in the State
