Natural disasters in Nigeria

Natural disasters in Nigeria, is mainly related to the climate of  Nigeria, which has been reported to cause loss of life and property. A natural disaster might be caused by flooding, landslides, insect infestation, etc. In order to be classified as a disaster, it will need to have a profound environmental effect and/or human loss and frequently incurs a financial loss. This occurrence has become an issue of concern, threatening large populations living in diverse environments in recent years.

Nigeria has encountered many disasters which ranges from floods, soil and coastal erosion, landslides, tidal waves, coastal erosion, sand-storms, oil spillage, locust/insect infestations, and other man-made disasters.It can be said that the country’s under protected and expansive environment contributed to make it especially vulnerable to these disasters. Other dangers include northern dust storms, which is usually from northern states to southern; causing damages through large deposits of dust and dirt from these regions. Hail is another cause which rarely occurs in parts of Nigeria, leading to damage crops and properties.

Emergency management[]

The National Emergency Relief Agency (NERA) was created by Decree 48 of 1976 in response to a devastating flood incidence between 1972 and 1973.^[1][2] NERA was a post disaster management agency with sole focus on coordination and distribution of relief material to disaster victims.^[2][3] National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was created in March 1999  through Act 12 of 1999 to holistically manage disasters in Nigeria through mitigation, preparedness response and recovery programs.^[2] NEMA mandates ranges from disaster policy formulation, public disaster education, collation of disaster data, collaboration with other emergency management agencies, promotion and coordination of disaster related researches as well as post disaster management.^[3]

Drought[]

The drought of 1972 and 1973 was attributed to have caused the death of 13% of animals in the north-eastern Nigeria and an annual agricultural yield loss of more than 50%.^[3]

Flood[]

Recurrent flood in different part of Nigeria had led considerable economic damage, injury and loss of life.

2020[]

In 2020, 68 people died and 129,000 people were displaced due to 2020 flood incidences according to the NEMA Director-General, Muhammadu Muhammed.^[4][5]

2012[]

2012 flood incidences in Nigeria was described by the World Health Organization as the worst flood to have hit Nigeria in the previous 50 years.^[6] The 2012 flood was recorded to have damaged 550000 houses and caused above 431 death as well as displaced above a million people.

2010[]

1000 residents of Lagos and Ogun state region of Nigeria were displaced due to flood associated with heavy rainfall, which was further exacerbated by the release of water from the Oyan Dam into the Ogun River^[6]

About 250,000 Nigerians were affected by flooding in 2016 while 92,000 were affected in 2017^[7]

National Disaster Management Framework of Nigeria(NDMF)[]

This framework was created in 2010 to serve as legal instruments to guide stakeholders’ engagement with respect disaster management in Nigeria.^[8] It was created to foster effective and efficient disaster management among Federal, State and Local Governments, Civil Society Organizations and the private sector. NDMF has 7 focus areas and a sufficiency criteria, namely:

• Institutional Capacity
• Coordination
• Disaster Risk Assessment
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation
• Disaster Response
• Disaster Recovery
• Facilitators and Enablers

References[]