November 14, (THEWILL) – The House of Representatives has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to propose a supplementary budget to tackle the effect of flooding.
The lawmakers made the resolution during Monday’s plenary session after a motion of urgent public importance was moved by Henry Nwawuba and Isiaka Ibrahim.
Asking the President to propose a supplementary budget of N100 billion, the lawmakers also mandated the House Committee on Appropriations to include N200 billion in the 2023 budget.
The lawmakers also directed the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to release N5 billion for ecological funds to mitigate the effect of flooding.
Moving the motion, Nwawuba said the country risks food insecurity if the government fails to take proactive action by careful intervention.
Nwawuba, who said the flooding has affected the prices of certain agricultural products, warned that certain industries may be affected.
“In 2012, 32 out of 36 states were affected by flooding, with 363 people killed, over 2.1 million people displaced, about 7 million people affected and a total loss estimate of N2.6 trillion recorded.
“In 2022, 33 out of 36 states and the FCT are affected, that is 92% of the entire country, over 600 people killed. Over 1.4 million people displaced and over 2.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance with over 60% of this number being children”, he said.
The motion was adopted by the lawmakers.
