Approximately 15,000 individuals displaced by recent flooding In Jigawa State are currently taking refuge in 45 primary and secondary schools that have been repurposed into Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
This information was revealed by the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Haruna Mairiga during an interview with journalists on Tuesday.
Mairiga highlighted that the primary challenge facing the state government is the resettlement of these flood victims. He explained that due to the victims’ previous locations being in lower-lying areas, they need to be relocated to higher ground to prevent future flooding. “The major challenge confronting the government is how to resettle these IDPs because of their number and, moreover, they must be relocated elsewhere. The area they were living in is on lower ground, so they must be relocated to higher ground to avoid a recurrence in the future,” he said.
To address the immediate needs of the displaced individuals, the state government has purchased food items worth N2 billion, which have been distributed to the IDPs in their camps. “We have distributed food to the IDPs in their camps about four times. As you know, we are using schools as camps. If not for the good understanding we have with the schools, teaching and learning would have been disrupted,” Mairiga added.
Mairiga also acknowledged the support of various organizations, particularly praising the World Health Organization for supplying medicines to treat the displaced individuals.
The flooding, which has affected multiple local government areas in Jigawa State, led to the temporary use of schools as shelters for those displaced by the disaster.
