As floods devastate Nigerian communities, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has charged state and local governments to erect camping sites in high rise areas in readiness for people who are forced to evacuate.

The group argued that it is not enough to warn citizens that flood is approaching, good governance demands that government should prepare camping sites for the people.

This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday, 20th September, 2025 by the Executive Director of the group, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The full statement reads:

“Although Allah has been kind to Nigeria regarding natural disasters such that the country does not experience tragedies the way other countries are exposed to them, floods in the raining season are becoming a serious concern as they cause high death tolls and severe damages.

“151 people were killed in the flood which devastated the city of Mokwa, Niger State in May 2025. Apart from the high death toll, 265 houses were destroyed while 3,018 people were rendered homeless in the global warmth induced disaster (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/31/nigeria-floods-death-toll-crosses-150-as-thousands-displaced). Sadly, the death toll reportedly rose to 700 on 2nd June, 2025 (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c071jz90pj8o).

“Earlier between September and October 2022, more than 600 people died after torrential rains caused the most devastating incident of seasonal floods around the country in decades. More than 1.3 million people were displaced (https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/10/nigeria-flood-rain-climate/).

“It is on record that both the federal and state governments are known to frequently issue warnings to citizens asking them to evacuate for fear of flood (https://punchng.com/fg-predicts-fresh-flooding-in-lagos-13-others/; https://www.tvcnews.tv/ogun-govt-lists-flood-prone-areas-sends-warning-to-residents/).

“The concern of the Muslim Rights Concern in this conversation is that although people are told to go to high rise areas as flood is being expected, they have never been told where to go exactly. Fear and anxiety rent the air as citizens wonder where to evacuate to.

“We assert clearly, categorically and emphatically that it is not enough to send warnings to residents. They should be directed to safer places prepared by the government. That is good governance.

“We therefore call on both the state and local governments in Nigeria to set up camps with mattresses and other essentials and to direct people to go there in times of floods. Such camps should be ready before heavy rains begin. The time for this is now. To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail.

“Neither should states and local governments leave this task to the federal government. Nigerians should approach their state and local governments about the locations of camps. We should stop relying on the Federal Government alone particularly now that both tiers are receiving huge amounts of money.”