The Presidency, on Tuesday, posited that calls for the Federal Government to respond to all outbreaks of natural disasters in states show a lack of understanding of the law, noting that the states and local councils are the first responders.

According to a statement issued by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), the Federal Government should only step in to directly address national-level emergencies.

The statement, however, noted that as many communities continue to reel under floods across the country, President Muhammadu Buhari assured that the situation is under continuous monitoring and the government at the centre will keep sending teams to assess the situation with a view to rendering all necessary help.

It said the President extended heartfelt condolences on behalf of the nation to communities in towns and villages, many of whom, it said, have lost dear relatives, suffered extensive damage to property, and endured the destruction of crops and farmlands.

While expressing his concerns over the hardships being faced by people due to this natural calamity, the President noted that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had written to each of the 36 states of the federation through the states’ respective Governors advising on the appropriate action to take in view of the gloomy forecasts of the rains this year.

The statement added: “The structure of the response mechanism on this issue is clear: the government at the centre should step in to directly address national-level emergencies and those local government councils and the states are the first responders in all situations.

“Calls for the Federal Government to respond to all outbreaks of a natural disaster do not just display an understanding of Nigerian law.

“While not a national-level emergency, the ongoing flooding is an emergency nevertheless. Nigerian lives and property are at stake.

“We call on governors of those states that have swung into action and engaged the necessary gear to continue with their efforts, and those that have not, to immediately face their duties of managing the flooding within their jurisdictions – that is, the job that the President, Governors and council Chairmen have been elected to do.

“Each of the three tiers, the local government, the state government and the federal government has a sizeable budget at its disposal, allocated monthly precisely for dealing with these state-level natural emergencies, as well as federal agencies dedicated to doing the same.”

The Presidency wondered why the states were not utilising dedicates funds to address the Ecological problems saying that if they have exhausted the money, they should give an account of how it was deployed.

The statement added: “It is not clear why some of the state governments in question are not already drawing upon those funds to tackle the current emergency, and the general population is misguidedly calling on the federal government to intervene in all situations. If those moneys are, for whatever reason, no longer available, the affected states and local councils must immediately contact the relevant authorities to explain what has happened with those funds.

“Under the prevailing revenue allocation formula, 2.32 per cent of derivation funds is set aside for ecology and disaster management.

“Of this amount, the 36 states and the FCT get 0.72 per cent, the 774 local governments get 0.6 per cent, adding to 1.32 per cent, leaving a balance of one per cent to the government of the federation.

“By the law of land, NEMA takes 20 per cent of the amount allocated to the Federal Government. The North East Development Commission, NEDC collects 10 per cent, the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, NALDA 10 per cent, and the National Agency for the Great Green Wall, GGW 0.5 per cent, leaving 0.55 of the one per cent to the government at the centre for ecological protection and disaster management.”

It said the President commended “the few states that are up in front, doing a yeoman’s effort averting disasters and managing same where they occur. While he gives the nation assurances that the federal government will continue to work closely with the state governments to provide all possible assistance to overcome this challenge, the President expects at the same time it must be seen as a shared responsibility. The response to emergencies must stand on the three-legged structure.

“Flooding, droughts out of season, wild weather patterns are now global experiences due to climate change. No one now denies its detrimental effects in all corners of the planet.

“Nigeria’s efforts led by the President have been acclaimed in Africa and globally. Instead of making headline-grabbing calls, politicians should take the trouble to find out from the Ministries and state governments what steps are being taken in the face of these challenges.” (Nigerian Tribune: Text, excluding headline)

Update news