2025 Flood: NEMA Sensitizes Niger Community on Disaster Risk Reduction,Poor Waste Disposal.
By Our Correspondent
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Niger State has launched a sensitization campaign aimed at educating the local community on disaster risk reduction and the dangers of poor waste disposal.
Hussein Isah, the head of NEMA’s Minna Operations Office, which oversees both Niger and Kwara states, led the initiative in the Anguwan Daji community in Minna on Wednesday.
He stated that the campaign was organized in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, referred to as the NEMA Emergency Management Vanguard (EMV), alongside partners such as NISEPA, NSEMA, and Ajnu Venture.
“We are here today to educate the local community in Minna, particularly Anguwan Daji, about the importance of disaster risk reduction and the issues surrounding poor waste disposal,” Isah explained.
This campaign is a direct response to the 2025 flood predictions released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) and the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency’s annual flood outlook.
Isah emphasized the crucial need for mitigation and preparedness, stating that when a disaster occurs, there must be a prompt and effective response.
He further revealed that the sensitization campaign would continue in the Minna metropolis and Kwara State, focusing on raising awareness.
He noted that poor waste disposal is a significant global challenge, and Nigeria is no exception. “Many of our cities and towns are filled with litter such as sachets, water bottles, tires, and broken glass, which can clog our environment and existing drainage systems. This can lead to water accumulation and potential disasters,” he warned.
Isah urged the Niger government to establish recycling plants for the efficient collection and disposal of solid waste.
Ahmed Abubakar, President of NEMA EMV, mentioned that this initiative is part of the group’s community development service, aimed at identifying and addressing urgent needs within the communities they serve.
“We recognized that this community has been dumping waste indiscriminately, which poses health hazards and can lead to flooding. We decided to enlighten them about the dangers of improper waste disposal, especially since many children may not be aware of these risks,” he said.
Alhaji Nasir Tanko, the Community Head of Anguwan Daji, added that evacuating waste from the community’s drainage without providing an alternative disposal site would be counterproductive.
He suggested that after the cleanup, authorities should use media channels to inform the public about the new dumping site and the consequences of continuing to dump waste in drainage areas.
Zuwaira Hassan, a resident of Anguwan Daji, recalled that the community once had services for house-to-house waste collection and waste containers, but these services are no longer available.
She appealed to the state government to take urgent action to address this issue, as the ongoing dumping of waste into the drains poses a serious risk to their lives.
