Flood Killed 600 Nigerians, Destroyed Properties Worth N5trn In 2022, Says FG

Nigeria lost N5.3trn an equivalent of $7bn to the flood which ravaged many states in 2022, the Federal Government has said.

The 2022 flood affected the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory but the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development named Jigawa, Rivers, Taraba, Cross River and Delta states as the five worst flood affected states in the country in a report it released.

It was the worst flood case witnessed in the country since 2012, the FG had said.

In a fresh development, Vice President Kashim Shettima said at an event that the flood resulted in a $7bn loss.

At the official Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rate of N762 to $1, it stood at over N5trn.

Recounting the 2022 economic lost Shettima at an event organized by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change said the flood showed climate change at its worst for the country.

Shettima was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Hassan.

He said, “We are all living witnesses to the ravaging floods of last year (2022), which held the country to a standstill for days.

“With the World Bank’s Global Rapid post-disaster damage estimation assessment, the total direct economic damage to infrastructure to be about $7bn, that was climate change at its worst for the country.

“This amount is equivalent to 1.6 per cent of Nigeria’s estimated 2021 Gross Domestic Product, not including the loss of over 600 lives.”

Shettima said climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity today, adding that Nigeria’s economy is yet to recover from its loss in 2022.

“Nigeria is ranked as one of the 10 most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change in the world, even as a developing nation in the global south,” he added.