The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has asked residents of some parts of Ilorin, in Kwara state to vacate their residences, as the volume of water in rivers across the country would soon rise and may lead to flooding which may cause losses of lives and property.

The coordinator of NEMA for Abuja Operations Office, Ishaya Chonoko, who led a at a one-day road walk sensitisation programme on the strengthening of flood risk awareness campaigns among vulnerable communities in Ilorin west local government area of the state, appealed to state governments to provide alternative housing for those who might be affected to avert crises.

He said government assistance is really of importance because most people living along riverine areas are poor and are the ones mostly affected in flood disasters.

He hinted that ignorance of flood risks has encouraged people to live in flood plains, hence their resolve to go on the sensitization walk across the probable flood prone areas in the state, he however warned that the lack of awareness of risk can result in a failure to heed to warnings by relevant agencies to evacuate in the event of flood, thereby endangering lives.

He stated that since the flood prediction made by the meteorological agency in Nigeria, NIMET for 2013 NEMA had swung into action on different measures to reduce impact of flood to the barest minimum at vulnerable communities as he corroborated NIMET’s prediction.

In reaction, the Kwara state government’s Special Assistant on Emergency and Relief services Ibrahim Abdulazeez thanked the agency over its effort to ensure that this year’s flood does not cause the nation and its citizens any damage as he reiterated the agency’s warning to those living in flood prone areas to relocate from such areas.