More than 15,000 people displaced by severe flooding in Jigawa State are currently taking shelter in 45 primary and secondary schools that have been converted into temporary camps. The Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr. Haruna Mairiga, confirmed this in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
Mairiga highlighted that the state government’s biggest challenge is finding a way to permanently resettle the displaced individuals. He emphasized the need to relocate them to higher ground, as many were living in areas prone to flooding due to low-lying terrain.
“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,” Mairiga said.
The state government has already spent N2 billion on food items for the internally displaced persons (IDPs), providing food supplies on four occasions. The schools being used as camps have been vital in avoiding disruptions to education, thanks to cooperation with local schools.
Mairiga also commended organizations for their support, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO), which provided medical aid to treat the displaced people.
The flooding, which impacted several local government areas in the state, forced the affected residents to seek refuge in schools that were repurposed into makeshift camps.
