• As NLC seeks federal help for Kebbi flood victims
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the European Union have concluded an innovative disaster preparedness project aimed at protecting vulnerable communities from urban flooding in Adamawa State.

The programme focused on reducing risks through community-led anticipatory action, empowering local residents to prepare for and respond to floods before disaster strikes.
With over €762,500 in funding from the European Union, the project has reached more than 52,000 people across the state.

Climate change is fueling disasters and floods at unprecedented rates in places already affected by conflicts and crises. In 2024 alone, unprecedented flooding in Nigeria caused food insecurity and cholera outbreaks.
Last month’s devastating flash floods in Niger State reportedly claimed over 150 lives in a region facing escalating humanitarian needs due to conflict and displacement.

The growing impacts of climate change, urban flooding remains a persistent and deadly threat—especially in informal settlements in the state.

In a statement yesterday, IRC said communities were equipped with early warning systems, inclusive planning tools, and localised preparedness protocols, while special attention was given to ensuring the participation of women, youth, people with disabilities, and displaced populations—those often most affected by climate-related shocks.

IRC Nigeria Country Director, Babatunde Ojei, urged the government, donors, and humanitarian actors to integrate anticipatory action into national disaster risk reduction strategies, ensure predictable financing for early action, and scale up community-led resilience programmes nationwide.

THIS is even as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of national urgency, step in and provide all necessary assistance to Kebbi State, stating that the Congress is spirit weighed down by the profound devastation that recent flooding has brought upon the people and lands of the state.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, in a letter addressed to Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, said the destruction of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and public facilities in the state was a call for national economic concern.

He urged the Federal Government to urgently provide substantial financial and material support for the immediate repair and reconstruction of damaged public infrastructure, provide succour, relief materials, and palliative measures to the affected communities and individuals, who have lost their means of livelihood.

Stating that the NLC stands in solidarity with the working people and citizens of Kebbi State in this difficult time, Ajaero said the government’s prompt response would inspire all to build a Nigeria that truly protects its citizens, especially in times of trial.

Ajaero said the Congress has watched with deep anguish as the relentless waters have not only submerged farmlands, the very source of sustenance and economic vitality for the masses, but have also swept away homes, damaged critical public infrastructure, and, most tragically, claimed precious human lives.

This, he said, is a painful reminder of the vulnerability of humanity in the face of nature’s immense power, a power that respects neither class nor creed.

Ajaero commended the governor on the robust and proactive response taken by his administration in constituting a high-powered committee to inspect and assess the infrastructural damages across the state.