Flood: Food Insecurity Imminent In Northeast, Says NEDC

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has said that following floods in the sub-region, food insecurity is imminent.

This was made known by the Managing Director of the Commission, Mohammed Alkali in Abuja. 

Alkali said the flood had washed away most of the farmlands due for harvest in the Northeast.

While receiving the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib Ahmed, Alkali assured of collaborative efforts with the agency to support Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

“The crisis created by the flood has led to most of the farmlands that will be cultivated in the Northeast destroyed. 

"This will definitely create a huge gap in food safety and security. 

“What’s happening internationally is another disaster which we are yet to see the total effect. 

"For instance, the fight between Russia and Ukraine, we all know the consequences of it all over the world, culminating in a loaf of bread sold for N500 to now cost N800.

“So, this will directly or indirectly affect our operations because those people, either they’re in IDP camps or outside, will feel the pain without knowing.”

However, the NEMA boss, Ahmed, said the agency was championing the feeding of over 170,000 persons in the Northeast.

He further stressed that the current insecurity bedevilling parts of the country has made it difficult to reach out to some victims.