Ibadan — Nigeria lost an estimated N2.6 trillion to the flood that ravaged 23 states of the federation in 2012, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in Ibadan yesterday.

According to the agency,363 deaths were recorded in the incident that displaced a total number of 2.1 million people, while 5,970 houses were submerged in 256 local government areas of the country.

This information was made public as stakeholders brainstormed on how to ensure prevention of flood.

Addressing participants, the NEMA South-west coordinator, Mr. Iyiola Akande, said the workshop was coming against the backdrop of NIMET's prediction of heavy rain fall in parts of the country. While noting that the prediction painted a more serious picture of what the nation should expect this year when compared to that of last year, the NEMA boss enjoined all and sundry to take preventive measures.

"We commend the various governments across the six states of the South-west for the great works that they are carrying out to safeguard the lives and property of our people. A testimony of this show of concern to the welfare of the people is the fact that the 2012 flooding that seriously impacted the lives and livelihoods of above 23 states across the country did not seriously affect the people of the South-west. It is not because the rains were not as heavy here, but because of remedial measures already put in place by the various governments to control the situation," he said.

Oyo State Commissioner for Environment and Habitat, Mr. Lowo Obisesan, while declaring the workshop open, saluted NEMA for being proactive through the interactive session just as he noted that with a lot of efforts on the part of all the stakeholders, flood would not only be controlled but prevented.

The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Modupe Omonigbehin stated that, "If we are all ready to give what it takes, if rivers and streams are allowed to go through their channels without obstruction, we can be rest assured that flooding would be prevented".

Participants at the workshop were drawn from the entire states in the South-west zone, including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States.