A United States-trained environmental and urban planning expert, Mr. Tony Oji, has said that Nigeria needs to think outside the box to address issue of perennial flooding and associated damages to the country’s environment.

He said the country could borrow from U.S. experience to establish manmade lakes and reservoirs to contain ravages of flood, noting that many countries have developed strategies to tackle seasonal flooding.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Oji, who disclosed that barely a year after he decided to relocate to Nigeria, his attempt to set up a poultry farm in Enugu State brought him face to face with the potential losses caused by heedless flooding.

He decried the politicisation of crucial environmental issues that threaten the livelihood of the people, stressing that professionals should be tasked to develop strategies that could be implemented seamlessly without partisan considerations.