The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on state and local governments across Nigeria to establish camping sites in high-rise areas as part of proactive measures to mitigate the devastating effects of floods.
The group stressed that it is not enough for governments to merely warn residents of impending floods without providing designated safe shelters.
Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, made this appeal in a statement issued on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
According to him, while Nigeria has been spared some of the catastrophic natural disasters witnessed in other parts of the world, floods during the rainy season are increasingly claiming lives and destroying property.
Citing recent examples, Akintola noted that 151 people lost their lives in the May 2025 Mokwa flood disaster in Niger State, where 265 houses were destroyed and more than 3,000 people displaced. He added that reports later indicated the death toll rose to 700.
He also recalled that between September and October 2022, more than 600 people were killed and 1.3 million displaced in what was described as the most devastating flooding in decades.
Akintola argued that while governments at all levels often issue evacuation warnings to citizens in flood-prone areas, they have failed to provide specific, safe locations for displaced persons.
“We assert clearly, categorically and emphatically that it is not enough to send warnings to residents. They should be directed to safer places prepared by the government. That is good governance,” he said.
The MURIC Director therefore urged state and local governments to set up camps equipped with mattresses and other essentials ahead of the heavy rains. He emphasized that such preparations should not be left to the federal government alone, since state and local governments now have increased financial allocations.
Akintola concluded that the time to act is now, warned that failure to prepare would amount to “preparing to fail.”
