Federal Government on Tuesday warned that 148 Local Government Areas in 31 states of the federation fall within the high flood-risk areas.
Minister of Water Resources, Prof Joseph Utsev made the disclosure in Abuja while presenting the general highlights of the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook prepared by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
Utsev listed the high flood-risk areas as, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kofi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe.
The floods are expected between April and November 2024.
The minister added that part of the 249 LGAs in 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), fall within the moderate flood risk areas.
He, however, did not list the areas under the moderate-risks flooding.
While Nigeria regularly experiences seasonal flooding, the floods of 2022 have been the worst since the 2012 floods.
The 2022 flood was reported to have affected 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with over two million people displaced.
NCAA suspends 3 private jet operators for operating commercial flights
By Emmanuel Obisue
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has suspended the permit of three private jet owners for engaging in commercial operations.
The NCAA via a statement on its official X handle said the sanctioned jet operators violated the terms of their permits by using their jets for commercial purposes.
Acting Director-General of the NCAA, Chris Najomo who announced the suspension of the operators, said “As a consequence of this heightened surveillance, no fewer than three private operators have been found to be involved in violation of the annexure provision of their PNCF and Part 9114 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023”.
“This riot act is also directed at existing Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders, who utilize aircraft listed on their PNCF for commercial charter operations.
“It must be emphasized that only aircraft listed in the Operation Specifications of the AOC are authorized to be used in the provision of such charter services. Any of those AOC holders who wish to use the aircraft for charter operations must apply to the NCAA to delist the affected aircraft from the PNCF and include it into the AOC operations specification.
“NCAA wishes to reiterate to the travelling public not to patronize any airline charter operator who does not hold a valid Air Operators Certificate issued by the NCAA, when they wish to procure charter operations services.
“Finally, NCAA encourages the legitimate players in the aviation industry to report the activity of such unscrupulous elements to the authority promptly for necessary action,” the NCAA added.
Nigerian Pilot recalls that the NCAA had initially deepened surveillance on holders of permit for non-commercial flights, PNCF, over several reports of using their aircraft for hire and reward thereby violating their permit.
