By Danhassan Abubakar
Bauchi State Government, through the State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management has carried out state and sector wide stakeholders engagement on sustainable flood disaster management strategy to curtail the devastating effects of flooding within the State.
The stakeholders engagement, which took place in the three sanetorial zones of the State looked at Four thematic areas centred on Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery.
The thematic areas were carefully studied by the flood proned communities, relevant State MDAs, LG administration, Development partners and CSOs with a view to developing a sustainable approach aimed at containing natural disasters.
In an opening remarks in the Three Senatorial Zones of the State, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajiya Hajara Yakubu Wanka said that the town hall engagement meeting represents a key step in a collective effort aimed at building resilient communities, mitigating risks, enhancing preparedness, and ensuring effective response and recovery in the face of flood disasters.
Commissioner Wanka who readily acknowledged that flooding is one of the most recurrent and devastating natural disasters affecting communities in Bauchi State, emphasized that the State was the second most hit state in Nigeria after Borno in the year 2024.
She revealed that many lives were lost, livelihoods destroyed, and significant challenges were posed to socio-economic development.
Wanka then reminded the stakeholders that the engagement is not just about acknowledging the challenges, but about charting a new course forward, a pathway that prioritizes sustainability, collaboration, community-driven, and solutions to flood disasters.
“The theme of this stakeholders engagement, “Building Resilience and Collaborative Solutions for Flood-Affected Communities”, is a call to action for all of us, the Government MDAs, development partners, civil society organizations, and community members to work together in crafting strategies that are not only reactive but also proactive and preventive”.
As we deliberate today, let us remember that the strength of our strategy lies in its inclusivity. Every voice matters, every perspective counts, and every contribution brings us closer to a safer, more resilient future. I urge us all to engage openly, share insights, and commit to actionable steps that will empower our communities to withstand and recover from flood disasters”, said Hajara Wanka.
The Commissioner then expressed her gratitude to all partners and stakeholders for commitment to the overall goal of the stakeholders engagement stressing that, “Let us leave here today with a renewed sense of purpose and a shared vision of a disaster-resilient society”.
The tone of the engagement activity was set with a presentation on the overview of the 2024 flood disasters data on lost of lives, properties and other means of economic livelihoods suffered by the affected communities.
Also, LG Chairmen shared their experiences during flood disasters in their respective communities and their first level of responses.
Thereafter, the participants including all the Commissioners, LG Chairmen, head of Agencies, Representatives of development partners, CSOs,
Religious/Community leaders, Community members and other stakeholders broke into four syndicate groups. Each group was then given a thematic area to brainstorm and proffer suggestions on the way forward with each group making their presentation at plenary.
The climax of the Stakeholders engagement was a panel of discussions that was chaired and moderated by Commissioner Wanka. The panelists were drawn from relevant state MDAs, Development Partners, CSOs, Community leaders and technical experts in flood disasters mitigation among others.
Our correspondent reports that a communiqué will be issued in due course by the State Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.