AVIATION JOURNALISTS CAUTION GOVTS ON NIMET FLOOD ALERT l

The League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) has called on state governments to take adequate precautionary measures to avoid a repeat of the 2012 flooding in some states of the federation.
Reacting to the 2013 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) which identified some states that would be vulnerable to flooding this year, LAAC warned that the agency's prediction should be adhered to strictly.
In a statement signed by the chairman and secretary of the league, Messrs Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo and Ime Akpan respectively, LAAC expressed dissatisfaction at the attitude of some state governments that failed to take the 2012 predictions seriously. "Had they not treated the warning with levity, last year's flooding in some states and its attendant gory spectacle would have been avoided."
The statement added that in a recent prediction, the director general of NIMET, Dr Anthony Anuforom, warned that there will be above normal rainfall in four states of the federation in comparison with that of 2012.
He said the affected states-Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and their environs would likely have above normal rainfall and advised relevant authorities to always use NIMET’s updates to control possible adverse impact.
Besides, he said normal rainfall over large areas of the country with enough water in lakes, dams and rivers for both hydroelectric power generations as well as for irrigation would be recorded.

Anuforom further said the expected changes in the predicted annual rainfall were below normal in Abeokuta and above normal in Ibadan and Yelwa.
However, he pointed out that the prediction of normal rainfall for the country "does not rule out chances of abnormal conditions in some states as experienced in the previous year while catchment areas of River Niger and parts of the Niger Delta in particular are likely to have more rains in 2013 than the previous year."

The League urged all the states especially Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Kwara to avail themselves of the agency's timely warning and put measures in place to mitigate the effect of any untoward situation.
It also urged the affected states to liaise with the agency "especially now that the federal government has equipped NIMET to provide world-class meteorological services."