As the rains take control of the skies, some areas in the country are already experiencing early flood signs.
A heavy down pour in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Sunday, has sacked some residents of Orji village and have also damaged properties worth millions of naira, including farms and buildings.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in the village on Monday, one of the victims, George Eke, blamed the government for what befell the village, as there was no drainage channel in the area, making free flow of the flood difficult.
He said a similar incident occurred in April 2012 where a lot of residents lost their businesses and houses to the flood.
“The government visited us then and promised to construct drainage system to help solve the problem, but till this moment, the administration has not shown any concern,” he said.
Another victim, Chibuzo Opara, who narrowly escaped death by a collapsed building, claimed that since the incident on Sunday, he has not had any shelter for his family as his building was pulled down.
“When the incident happened, I first noticed that part of the building had collapsed. I quickly ran out with my children, few minutes later, the whole house collapsed,” he said.
Also recently, rainstorm in Cross River state killed a thirteen year old girl and rendered thousands of people homeless as it destroyed over one hundred and fifty houses, affecting about 15 communities in Boki Local Government Area.
Some of the communities affected include: Ntamate, Okundi,Panya, Ishiagube and enin.
The rainstorm uprooted trees, electric poles and destroyed schools and hospitals thereby blocking roads and drainages.
Speaking on the development after visiting the affected areas, the member representing Boki Two in the State House of Assembly, Jacob Otu Enyia, appealed for urgent response from relevant agencies to give the people immediate relief.
The 2012 floods cost the country approximately N2.6 trillion, even though many of the victims are yet to be resettled or compensated.
A report contained in the 2013 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) for Nigeria presented by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency,NIHSA, has predicted floods in 31 states of the country this year.
The states include: Zamfara, Yobe, Sokoto, Rivers, Taraba, Plateau, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Niger, Nasarawa, Lagos, Kwara, Kogi, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Gombe, Edo, Ebonyi, Delta, Cross Rivers, Benue, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, andAdamawa.