The Nigerian Red Cross Society, Lagos State Branch, has launched a Disaster Risk Reduction Club at Ebenezer African Church Primary School, Egbeda, to promote flood preparedness and safety awareness among pupils and their communities.

The initiative, implemented under the Italian Government–funded Flood Resilience Project in collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, aims to equip young Nigerians with knowledge and practical skills to identify and respond to disaster risks.

The Administrative Officer of the Lagos Branch, Adeshile Nicholas, said the clubs teach pupils how to prevent floods, respond during emergencies, and practice good hygiene and first aid. He added that the project is active in about seven states, including Lagos, Enugu, Edo, and Cross River, with interventions in Alimosho and Eti-Osa carried out in partnership with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency.

Nicholas noted that behavioral change and limited mobility remain key challenges, adding that poor waste disposal habits continue to worsen flood risks.

A Security Officer from the Red Cross National Headquarters, Michael Olufemi, highlighted the importance of early disaster education, saying it helps pupils become agents of resilience in their communities. He also urged improved environmental management to address blocked drains, a major cause of flooding in Lagos.

The event was attended by representatives of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Local Education Authority, National Disaster Response Team, and the NRCS National Headquarters, featuring sessions on early warning and disaster response.

Through the Flood Resilience Project, the Nigerian Red Cross Society reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and livelihoods from climate-related disasters.

Source: Punch

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Dr Chime Ogbonna In an exclusive interview with Housing Tv, called on the government to provide a town planning law that would guide the activities of planners

“The major challenge facing town planners is that Nigeria as a country is working without any town planning laws guiding our activities”

“In 1992, the federal government in its wisdom promulgated what we call today The Nigerian Urban Regional planning law and that law from what we know took over all town planning activities in Nigeria. It repelled every town planning law that ever existed in Nigeria before 1992”

“As we speak that law is not being implemented in this country, worse at the federal level  because we are supposed to have in line with the provision of that law the National Urban and Regional commission at the federal level. That commission will be constituted by town planners, architects, land surveyors, builders, quantity surveyors, lawyers, civil engineers but because the commission is not in place, things go the way they should not go”

The President further urged government to review its laws and make provisions for adequate checkmate and implementation to avoid loss of properties and natural disasters such as flooding in the near future

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The Imo State Government has launched a statewide campaign to reclaim public land from unauthorized occupiers, beginning the demolition of illegally erected structures on government-reserved spaces.

Nze Chinasa Nwaneri, Special Adviser to the Governor on Monitoring and Compliance, disclosed that investigations unearthed a troubling trend: individuals occupying public verges with forged or outdated allocation documents, particularly in areas like Aladinma Garden Estate.

According to Nwaneri, several of these occupants claim rights to land using documents that have no legal foundation. He clarified that the concerned lands including verges and buffer zones are strictly reserved for public infrastructure like drainage and road expansion,and are not to be converted for personal or commercial purposes by any agency, including the Imo State Housing Corporation.

He further emphasized that these illegal encroachments obstruct natural water channels, increase the risk of flooding, and undermine the lifespan of newly rehabilitated roads.

“The government will no longer tolerate these distortions of urban planning,” Nwaneri said. “Any structure built on public verges will be removed without warning.”

He cautioned the public against dealing with unauthorized agents claiming to sell or allocate government land, urging residents to report any suspicious activity around reserved areas to the appropriate authorities.

All occupants have been instructed to vacate immediately or face eviction and possible legal consequences.

“Government reserves are not business spaces,” he reiterated. “They are vital to the city’s drainage, safety, and development. Anyone obstructing these spaces is obstructing progress.”

The government pledged to uphold urban order and protect public infrastructure from abuse, warning that it will not hesitate to act swiftly and decisively in defense of the state’s long-term interests.

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