Dutse — His highness, Emir of Gumel, Alhaji Ahmad Muhammad Sani has called on Federal Government to assist Jigawa State with ecological funds to checkmate the annual recurring flood which occurence currently threatens the state having claimed three lives and rendered thousands homeless.

Despite prediction of low rainfall in the North for this year's rainy season from the country's meteorological agency, the geo-political zone has come under threats of flooding. So far, Seven Northern states according to AFP reports have come under threats of flooding causing leading to the deaths of three persons, submerging entire villages and farmlands, and displacing thousands.

According to the report, Jigawa State, often subjected to annual floods, has affected 25 villages which have been submerged, with about 7,000 people displaced and 3,000 hectares of crops washed away in the last two weeks, Umar Kyari, the state governor's spokesman, told AFP.

"A river burst its banks due to torrential rains, inundating the 25 villages along its banks", Kyari said.

The emir told LEADERSHIP at his palace, that every year the state comes under threat of flooding which often results in loss of lives. Thousands of houses and farm lands are also lost in the flood, especially when there are heavy rainfall.

He identified erosion, lack of drainages, water exits in most of the town and villages in the state as the main causes of the flooding, and stated that the state government alone can not afford to tackle the problem considering the meager resources at its disposal.

"With provision of ecological funds from the federal government, the state would be able to take all the necessary measures that would curb the recurrence of the flood across the state, especial through embarking on massive erosion control, construction of drainages and dredging of water exits in urban and rural areas across the state."

Alhaji Ahmad Muhammad Sani also called on the state government to assist the people of Albasu town and other villages under the emirate were flood recently displaced hundreds of families and destroyed farms lands worth millions of naira.

Meanwhile the emir has also in his Ramadan message called on the people of the emirate to make sure they give out alms zakkatul fitr to the needy at the end of Ramadan for spiritual/wealth purification, saying that it would also serve as a means to seek divine intervention against allsorts of disaster militating the people.