The National Emergency Management Agency says it has deployed its officials in 15 high-risk states to further enlighten residents on the impending floods and the need to relocate from flood-prone areas.

NEMA noted that the victims of the tragedy in Mokwa, Niger State lived in gully areas and were caught unawares by the recent flooding disaster in the state despite official warnings.

Head of the Press Unit at NEMA, Manzo Ezekiel, said the states include Kogi, Imo, Enugu, Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Zamfara, Katsina and the Federal Capital Territory.

He lamented that many victims of the May 23 flooding built their residences in gully areas prone to floods.

The flood in Mokwa, a commercial hub in Niger State, claimed over 200 lives, with hundreds of others declared missing.

The rainy season usually runs from April to October in Nigeria and last Wednesday, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency issued a forecast of heavy storms for Abuja and 14 of the country’s 36 states, including Niger.

The Peoples Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, Coalition of United Political Parties, and others have strongly criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for openly declaring his plan to lead President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.

During a media chat on Monday in Abuja, Wike described himself as a key asset in helping Tinubu win the 2027 election.

The former Rivers State Governor also insisted he was not involved in any anti-party activities and challenged the PDP to suspend him if they believed otherwise.

In response, the party’s Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, urged Nigerians to disregard Wike’s comments, stating that the party would soon enforce its rules against the minister.

The CUPP’s Publicity Secretary, Mark Adebayo, labelled Wike as the “President’s hatchet man”, accusing him of working to dismantle opposition parties.

The NNPP asserted that Tinubu would be defeated in 2027 despite Wike’s endorsement.

Speaking on Monday during a media parley in Abuja, Wike said, “I am still in the PDP. I worked hard for the party.

I have not seen anybody who has the guts to tell me, ‘Wike, you are not a member of the party.’ Who is that? What is his contribution to the party that is more than mine?”

Wike noted that the PDP violated the agreement for a southern candidacy for President and supported former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, hence his refusal to endorse the party’s 2023 presidential candidate.

“In 2023, did I not tell you that I wouldn’t support their presidential candidate? I said, based on equity, justice, and fairness, the presidency should go to the South because you can’t have that and the national chairman at the same time.

“You, therefore, take one and give us one. Believing that Atiku would win, they said to hell (with it), and I said I was not going to support.

“So, why didn’t I leave the party and join APC? Of all of us then and PDP governors today, who produced National Assembly 100 per ncent? Who produced a governor? Ask them in their various states how many senators they have,” he said.

Wike referred to himself as a valuable asset, emphasising his key role in securing Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general elections.

“I am not a liability, I am an asset. Whether you agree or you don’t agree, I am an asset.

Whether you want to die or you don’t want to die, I am an asset. It doesn’t matter, you may not like me. I am an asset to making sure that Tinubu wins his second term,” Wike boasted.

The ex-Rivers governor also spoke on the chances of the PDP in 2027, stating that the PDP has a leadership problem, which was responsible for the mass defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress, particularly in Delta State and Akwa Ibom.

“It’s a party leadership problem. Look at it. You won’t tell me that they didn’t have intelligence that Delta would go. You won’t tell me that they didn’t have intelligence that Akwa Ibom would go.

“Now, as the leadership, what would you do? Send a team, ‘ask them ‘why are you doing this?’ No, you’re making a mistake. Impunity; let them go. Look Opposition does not do impunity.

No, no, no, we try to beg, beg. Put everybody together. You don’t say, let them go. Let me tell you, I cannot do that,” the minister insisted.

In response, a senior PDP official described the party as one that upholds law and order, stating that it would soon take disciplinary action against Wike in accordance with its rules.

He stated, “This party is a party of process. We have the structures, processes, and laws that we’re following. At the right time, we shall enforce our laws on him and others.

“When somebody says nobody can remove him from the party, that is just his view. The PDP is bigger than any individual. And my answer is very simple: opinion is free, but facts are sacred.

Policies are sacred. Rules and regulations are sacred. While he is entitled to his view, I can tell you that, at the right time, the party will enforce its rules.

”The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Osadolor called on Nigerians and party members to disregard Wike.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji has expressed his dissatisfaction with the Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority (BORBDA) over its handling of development initiatives in the state, stressing that the state has not benefited from the authority despite numerous attempts to collaborate with it on some projects.

Governor Oyebanji, who stated this on Monday during a meeting with the new management of the Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority led by the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Dr Olufemi Adekanmbi in his office on Ado Ekiti, emphasized that the agency has not been fair to the state in it’s development drive.

Expressing his displeasure over what he described as lack of meaningful contribution from the authority to Ekiti development, the Governor emphasized that this had forced his administration to exclude the agency from its strategic development plan, stressing the need for a more effective and accountable approach moving forward.

Governor Oyebanji who Emphasized the importance of synergy between government agencies and stakeholders in driving sustainable development, urged the new leadership to ensure that their renewed commitment translates to meaningful actions and development in the state.

He also assured them that his administration would collaborate with the authority provided there is a visible shift in their operations and engagement.

“I need to refresh our memories about our experience with Benin-Owena, they have not been fair to us, we have gained nothing from them. We have crafted our development strategy without you in our plan because every attempt to collaborate with you has been frustrated.

We are investing massively in agriculture in the state and Benin-Owena has no contribution to it.

“However, I have read your speech, it shows that you want to do things differently but we have listened to beautiful speeches that didn’t translate to action, so for those project that are already in the budget concerning Ekiti State, whatever we can do to ensure that we fast track development, I am ready to do that”, the Governor asserted.

Earlier in his remarks, the Managing Director of the Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority, Dr Olufemi Adekanmbi, who commended the Governor for the remarkable progress in the state particularly in agriculture sector, said the purpose of the meeting was to introduce the new leadership to the Governor, assess on going collaboration with the state government as well as forge a strengthened pathway toward achieving the goal of the renewed hope agenda of President Boa Ahmed Tinubu, particularly in the area of food security.

Unveiling the agency’s comprehensive development blue print aimed at boosting agriculture, infrastructure, and youth empowerment in the state, the BORBDA CEO assured the Governor of a new dawn in the agency, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was intention and strategic with the appointment of right people into the board of the agency.

He listed various on-goin and proposed BORDA interventions across the state to include, flood contro projects in Ilupeju, Efon-Alaye, Ado-Ureje Road, Ikere-Ado/Osun Road as well as management of key dams in Apariko-Aisegba, Oye-Ayede, and Ado-Osin, among others.

Also present at the meeting were, Chief of Staff, Mr Niyi Adebayo, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Prof Bolaji Aluko, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr Boluwade Ebenezer and Special Adviser Media, Mr Yinka Oyebode.