Hassan-Odukale Caution Nigerians against Ignoring Weather forecast Warnings

Ebere Nwoji

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Leadway Assurance, Tunde Hassan-Odukale, has cautioned Nigerians against ignoring the early warnings on weather especially rainfall and flooding issued by the relevant weather monitoring and emergency management agencies of government for  this year’s rainy season .

Hassan-Odukale gave the warning in a statement  he issued  in reference to the weather forecast issued last year by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET).

To cushion the effect, he said his company has designed insurance policies to help victims of devastating flooding recover from the massive financial losses, which experts estimated at over N4.2 trillion.

Last year, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) issued a grim forecast saying that 2023 would  witness an early onset of rainfall accompanied by flooding.

According to the agency, effect from March, coastal areas in the South-South, particularly Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers State, will experience downpours; Southern Inland cities will see precipitation in April, while central states will see rain in May.

Hassan-Odukale said, “This year’s weather forecast paints a bleak picture, especially against the backdrop of the prevailing global inflation and economic vulnerabilities and uncertainties. As expected, these projections call for a prompt response from all stakeholders. As a nation, as agribusiness investors, business owners, property and asset managers, families, and individuals, we must proactively take action to mitigate the disheartening and devastating human and material losses from the flooding incidents in 2022.”