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E::ditoriaI il E -milO "' call1Strophie fluodinS in difffO.rc.nl parts orthfO. countlj I,u COlllfO. a~ a ,-rry R";OIH assaull by naluroc that "ill ruilurt'll p~nl i~ unitlue ch.llenl,elI 10 the SD\emmenl .nd pro ,Ic. Admillf'dly, the incroca.Iie in .... in, • n.tur.1 COTlffo(l!ICOIl--:f' or Ole ongoin,; SlobaJ ""amling and clima.le chan8.~ h~ d long been rO"'''ltrned. nobody f'n\isa,cd that n .. turi· will , ent iL~ fury in such .n agonhiing w.), washing jo,ed C , businesses .nd r.rmland in onr 20 in one rell swoop. hnn: been r~vortwl)' killw, while
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been ~ndcred homeless. Altogether. : ~'~~'!~,::i:~ f~,~':~~'~;~l>collir acro.'l!l the rederation h.\'e a«onlinl to the Nige";.n Red CroslI Soci('ty. to Ule N 17.6 biUion promised by thf' Feder.1
?':~n~~\,!~~~'~!~~:;!!;I'~~'~"~d!~:;n::d:.:ividU.1 donof'S Ire •. I has predided that will suffer more 10fTCntlaJ floodlnl, wuning in such "ulnenbJr st.tes tu t':vacu.te lht':ir humt':s tut':n un .....-an.'S. A!Jid(' rronl the number ur med d(,fld, it has b«n diOicult 10 quanlir) the rudion 10 proJlCrty. lIou.'i'ehold goods now floal or waler. \\1 •• 1 u.~ 10 be roads halt': suddf'nly 'r ,-.)"Sthal can unly br: n.,iSIlIW b)' an~. In r.d. I road bctwun thl' Fedc",' (' ''pitltl Ttrrilor') and 1,( ~i Slal('. WM cui olT Tor days . f'r or Emirof'lment, H.db.. M.ilafia. said o\er - -;;:'r ·...;;
5:.:~;~~;,:;.;rl: Id h.d been wash·-d .w.y. I'f'UIII('.~ now bdng :: b .. f'n.ke!J , crocodilCli .nd hippopot.mi. animats . ' n disloogw rmm lhf'ir nalural habitat b~' thco . \l.~ likcly ttl C'O mf' ·"ilh thfO.lloods ar"C' ",.tu-borll(' ."'''~., .•• p datI) chole.... wilh i~ high mort.lil) ral('. ''''''''''.''. m.ny uen' ntll Tl'f'.pared ror 1ft«' flood. in " pile .... '"lings. 111t' ~i&('ri.n Meteorol08iaJ Agency IIt~ v.er"C' "".rned in. rorecast on Much I.bout )i il) or flooding ern ,' ugu.'1t 3 .nd August ) Ule wlImin!;.-'! ' Hrt' nol heedcod. Th(' N.titlnlll En."t<·.q M .nagemt'nl i\;cnC) . &!J lHual. ""a.~aught n.pping. • dmitted b«'ing o\erwhehned. re\~.JinK th.1 -, b e had 1:In'II 5Oughl. . e I"mie fluod iflll 'itt,p .n) time 50011" b;perts Sll) . • "I,.nding rrom th· heal alltl with gl.ci('f'S, larg(' , m ·!tinK .11'.) . ~ ku!b hllve climbed mon: Ihan It incc 1880•• nd till curr«'nl r ale is .bout .n inch If r ~'ery deel d('. II is s.id Ih.1 m.ny scif'ntistA ler to riqo li t lellSt Iwo to Ihr-et' re('1 mort b) lhfO.
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!WI bot mono Ihlln 150.....roo "Kl~ and t-madcd 10: la~ruTKh punchnJ,rom S\Kh .... 10:0 mil'" f"n I.", "nl~r. luJlIUI~ln'>llnllt )~I .Jd~~,.nd
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('nd ohhis ttn tury. There ~ nu stoppinS nature's rage. but the", ~ such. Oling &!J disaslu procparednC!!-S .ml aJ le,·i.t ion. The gm~nltncllt will n«d 10 SlrengtJlen itA f'mergenC)' resetl(, and n!CO\'ery plans. nil' pUblic should M auUoned to limil cont.cl with flood waler due 10 potenti.lly el(,\,.tcd '("'el!J or rontamin.ation. nood ,idinu need 10 be assisted in df'aning up. dr')'ing oul, rebuilding.• nd reoccup)'ing their homes. Lons.Rer tbe raging llood m.), ha"e bce:n t.med .nd Ihe w.l(,nI m.y han round th('ir way b.ck to the oce.n, ri\·f' ..... and ";nllel'l, Nigcrian~ will still hll"e 10 pul up wilh oth('r rt'.t.tw challe ngC5...... ier orwhich is th., orrood short.ge. Th(' ftdfO. .... 1 Go'·ernment was quid: to warn or the throc.' or.n Imminent (ood cris~, whic.h will only compound an .Iroc.dy miS('nble '1i1ualion. '1Ie Un ittd N. tions Childrocn's "·und aI.so r«'«ntly said that .bout 18.7 million peoplc .... ere r.ein,; rood .nd nutrition CrUc5 in the Sahl':I n-cion. which includCli a 'arg(' portion. or Nige";.'s \"8lIt land .rta. as. rt':liult or the Impad or drought, malnulrition .nd diRase. 111(' United N.tioM Food .nd AS";culturc Organisation predidcd an in\'luion b) locum. WiUI floodhl8 cominl inlo .ccount. thf' rood situ.tion un only gel ..... orse, pushins moroc people inlo po\('rt)' traps. In Adam ......a. ont': o(the st.tes Rriow ly affmt':d by the flooding. aJmost haJr or the rarmland is nid to hne bet-n submerged by ...... ter. It is ,.id th.t be'wu.n 30,000 .nd 50,000 tonnes or m.ize. ritt and other rood crops.roc likcl) to be lost 10 Ih(' Rood!J in lllfO. aOl2 rarming season. l11i5 ma) incrcaR our rood imJ)Ort bill, put .t ncrale or N2,3 trillion annllally betWttn 200- and 2010, Thf' Ff'1Ienl Gtwernmenf!l' ...... ming . bout .n impc!nding rood shortage t" not f'flOugh. nle r.rmers .....hOM lh·tlihood m.) h."e been ,,'ashed .wayb)' th(' flood n~ 10 be5UPPClrted, by vanling them soR loans, ~linB-•• nd rertilisc:r. The", should .00 bel an ('ffort to mo,·(, aw.y (rom subsislena: r.nnin,10 m~h.ni.s«'d r.rming. No mailer how man~ peoplf' KO inlo rannin,. &!J Ions ... the depcndtntt on crud(', loc.1 Implf'me ntA conti noes. it .....iII bc inlpossiblf' (or the rouutr')' to . chi('\ f' HIr·sufficitncy in rood pmoduc-lion . II is rommon knOll Icdse Ih., most or thco rood liroduc:-cd in tht cuuntry is w&!Jted bee.UR or acult I.d.: or <otoragf' .nd pl"OC'es5ing (.cilitit';S. "If''i'f'.roc .rtas Ihf' If)'-emm('nt ~hould look into inlr')ing 10 .ml':lioralt': the rood e";",is. BHidcs. Kj,'ell thf' rapidly ch.nsing "calher, it hIlS become iml)cnltj,'t to m."1': .\·.i1.blt': \leathe r .nd climate inrOl'1n.lion emanating rrom NIMET rur application in asrlcultural.c:ti,;tit'$,
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Telling a different story about Africa 1It'ft 13.. fact. tht w"fld'~ IlIIr~'>IOIl (Of ,.urn I!I ~'outd.at!!d 11111 Bimol1, Wflttn~ In tlwo Guardian of UK ~th _/111'1,,<1 thlt m,d! I pm that's 1101 ..., shorknll- Whal I C'Ofl.9dtr unfortunatt, and I darI' 511- wnnmg.~. IS thai 1':\'nI ill thIS ~. fUlly Africam OOfIlm~ tn hold I \'e)' low Im~_ rrlthtnt<.ooI\~ and thu\ helrl~ to pr!lI'!tualt I 5!mpli.;tJ(' RIImllM .,,"" tht OOfItment Then- is 00 OOtibt ttvt _'"" had a palllfitl hIltOn' of sbr."t':f}.. mlomalism. dK1.lor<hl~. en'1l war<, lamme!, l'OfTUpt ~IP and thooit /Ilhfr isIuI!s that WestmJ JOUnWiIts frast on.nd WI" PtiliUtr Prur "'lfl~ '-Ibne!i oul/,f SpWu~ qul~ fnmkIy.5OfTItoftMx~ mnllllom:nlllK ~ in IOOIt' paru or tht cnnlllll'l1l Sui filiI ..raitt}' has SUlCI' ~ and I .......' nartatJ\,. is .. ough l 10 be III pbcr. ",filCh p.illllhdiv IIU1n~ haVI" cnnlmUf'd to IpOft Afnea has tta.wd It, br thaI [)ark l'ontlll",1 ~lJC(Iln' nUrd I~ nlf'Jl iU ' " ' " III The
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rontll1tr1l N~f'flIl.!h1" ronUotnt'S m'~ p<)JII,Ir:~15 CI'lU11In has t-nenJOl1~ .;t...m-eooll"nIK JmMlI gila' 2005 ,,;th m:rnI fiJ;urcs J"JIIIIlK IT'''''1h ;as Iu&h D ~-5 ptr ct'fl L
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.1 t>~1I11nr... fmm mu'<K ttl ~ if' Iilf'l1rlurI' and 'IpOrt., An\' top Eurnp"U1 r:kJ ",1Ihout &11 African fnotbalJ<of 1$ JnC'llml'lrtt 1'ht firIt bbd nan In ~\JIIf' WIth 3.p1 {.iI'A at Juh IInpkins Un1\~·13. a S~ ,\or! all." can ltel il thai nr"I"", bPlnno dwlll H-IlllOfT hehnmr. 10 bf'lIJI AfTll'1ln ·S~h'a Nze Irt'di,wo is thf' author or 'Thf' J.uuent.I Did Not End·