One of the affected states is Kebbi, located in northern Nigeria, has 10 local government areas affected in the recent flooding which locals say is steadily increasing and have washed away majority of their farmland.

According to an official of the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), Mr. Thickman Tanimu- deputy head Sokoto operations office of NEMA, 21,450 persons and 5,015 houses

were affected, while 37,460 hectares of farmlands worth N570 million were also destroyed.

Mr. Tanimu also revealed details regarding other affected states in the North west region of the country. 

In Zamfara state, 10 people lost their lives to the flood while 8, 540 houses and 6,450 hectares of farmland valued at N260 million were destroyed in the eight affected local government areas of the state which boasts of fourteen local government areas.

Tanimu further said that eleven out of the twenty three local governments areas in Sokoto state were affected.

In Sokoto state, eleven out of her twenty-three local government areas were affected just as 24,750 persons and 6, 922 houses were affected too.

42,800 hectares of farmlands worth N750 million were reported to have been either totally destroyed or

badly affected. One person, reportedly a 7-year-old boy died of the flood in Sokoto state.

In the whole, Mr. Taminu disclosed that the three north eastern states have seen 86, 710 hectares valued N1.58 billion destroyed and a total of 20, 477 homes also affected while about 50, 000 people have been rendered

homeless by the disaster with 11 deaths recorded.

In Anambra state where I reside in Eastern Nigeria, the heavy rain has exposed the poor and inadequate drainage facilities in the state especially in its capital Awka. When it rains, flood covers most part of the road forcing impatient pedestrians to walk on it while risking falling into the flood-filled gutters as there will be hardly a distinction between the gutter and the road in such a situation.

Last week, I was in a street while it was raining and within few minutes of the rain, I couldn't believe the huge flooding that almost submerged the entire street while washing away soil surfaces which hitherto allowed vehicular movements. The flood is slowly causing erosions in many places but the government authorities are well aware of the situation and are working towards, at least ,reducing the damages. You find tippers, unusually, in many street as they pounce on the sand washed down by rain on the streets. If the sand is left in such streets, it traps vehicles moving through the street and at such, residents are happy to see them packed away by commercial excavators to allow free human movement and vehicular traffic.

I will be kicking off my flood alert awareness campaign through many media houses in Nigeria in a few days as I seek to help forestall huge damages resulting from this year's flooding.

Nigeria is gradually receiving refugees in the northern part of the country who fled to neighboring Cameroon during heated attacks from terrorist group Boko haram , and adding climate refugees owing to this flooding to our growing list of Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs), will be stretching the capacity and capability of the National Emergency Management Agency beyond their apparent limits. 

If we begin now to act for the climate, such disasters will slowly be averted.