The Federal Government has disclosed that Taraba State has so far recorded 13,428 internally displaced people and 30 communities submerged in water.
Bridge linking Nassarawa State with Taraba State destroyed by the flood
Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Yushau Shuaib, disclosed in Abuja that the affected communities are in Ibi and Wukari Local Government Councils of the state.
He said that while the agency was conducting a rapid response assessment during the tours of the councils, it was discovered that bridges linking various communities were cut off by the flood due to overflow of River Benue as well as the release of water from the Kiri Dam in Adamawa State and from Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroun.
A village submerged in Taraba State
Places of worship, farmlands, hospitals, schools and markets are affected. Some of the communities can only be reached by canoes and boats as rescue and emergency officers have so far visited critically affected areas such as Chinkai, Ando-yako, Warawa, Dampar, Ibi town, Badodo, Chaschangi, Isini, Mai itache, unguwan danbaki,Sai, Gungun Abdullahi Unguwan makeri, Wazirin bannu, Sai Danpar-unguwan saraki, Unguwan Kabawa, Sarkin Noma, Unguwan Maisanko, Baruwa and Unguwan Nufawac.
Traditional ruler of Ibi, Alhaji Abubakar Danbawo III, said: “For the past 38 years, we have never witnessed a disaster of this magnitude that touched everything: places of worship, houses, roads and farmlands.”
The NEMA officers are still at camps in Danpar, Chinkai and Ibi, reportedly registering and providing relief materials to the displaced people.
Fears and apprehension have been the order of the day in several cities along the course of major rivers nationwide, no thanks to the rampaging floods.
Flooding in Plateau State
For instance, concerns have heightened in the commercial city of Onitsha in Anambra State and the neighbouring Asaba in Delta State, which is just by the other side of the River Niger. States such as Kogi, Kwara and Niger are not exempted from the disaster, which was preceded by a warning by the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) that the river would over flow its banks and cause severe devastation along its coastal line.
In Anambra State, Ogbaru Local Government Area (LGA), Uga Junction, Atani and Okpoko Area are seriously affected by the flood, leaving behind a tale of woes as it ravaged over 750 hectares of rice and yam farmland and submerged four other communities in Ayamelum in Anambra West LGAs.
Residents of the communities, which are close to the confluence of Omabala and Niger rivers, were said to have woken up two days ago to behold their farmlands submerged by the flood.
In Niger State, the flood was said to have affected 14 of the 25 LGAs in the state.
Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Authority (NSEMA), Mohammed Saba, said in Minna on Friday that the greatest challenge facing the agency in the state is the refusal of most communities to vacate flood plains due to agricultural potentials.
“We have been trying to evacuate communities along the river banks we consider vulnerable to flood but the greatest challenge we are having is that many of them are not willing to leave the flood plains for a safer havens,” Saba said.
According to him, communities living along the river banks have rejected the offer to move to higher grounds to avoid being washed away by the flood.
In Kwara State, the government has asked residents of Kosubosu and Jebba communities on the banks of the River Niger to relocate so as to avoid being submerged.
The NEMA had, as a result of the continued threat by the river, issued an alert, urging those living along the river’s coastline in the state to relocate. The organisation said that there is a risk of flooding from Jebba and Kainji dams and advised the affected state to evacuate the people within the area the flood may affect.
The Kwara State Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Samuel Bamisaiye, in an interview, said the government did not want any resident in the state to suffer flood disaster forecast hence the call on the people to vacate the banks of the river.
The dreaded, but long-awaited impact of the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroun has finally reached Cross River State, where at least 49 communities in seven LGAs of the state have been flooded.
The communities are in the riverside areas of the state, according to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), which gave the names of the affected LGAs as Yala, Ogoja, Ikom, Obubra, Abi, Biase and Odukpani.
Director-General, Cross River SEMA, Vincent Aquah, who assessed the extent of flooding and its accompanying damages, told journalists that the 49 communities are currently endangered and could face more intensive flooding as the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon swells rivers.
“The communities are experiencing unprecedented flooding which have submerged thousands of farms such as yams, cassava, vegetable cocoyam, melons and other cash crops worth millions of naira.
“Hundreds of houses are inundated with the flood while over 10,000 livestock have been affected,” the SEMA boss said.
Aquah expressed fears that the magnitude and severity of damage to lives and property would increase as the level of flood rises.
He expressed fears that the concomitant effect of the flooding could be extreme famine that would visit the agrarian communities as a result of the destruction of their farms by the flood.
He said so many people would be displaced from their homes as many people and families are already relocating to make-shift shelters.
“As you can see, these conditions are far below human standard particularly living in a slum such as this thatch house. Children and women are suffering and there is an urgent need to address the situation before it gets out of hand,” Aquah said.
He appealed to the Federal Government and international organisations to come to the aid of the state government as it apparently has no financial capacity to effectively manage the situation alone.
Aquah said SEMA had, immediately after the warning of the possible release of water from Lagdo Dam by Cameroun, embarked on sensitisation campaign in all the communities along the coastline being affected by the flood.
He said the people living in the areas prone to flooding as a result of the release of water from the dam have been advised to relocate to highland areas as an immediate safety measure against the loss of human lives as well as domestic animals.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has constituted a five-man technical committee to assess and determine the extent of damage caused by recent flooding occurrences in some states of the federation, particularly, Plateau, Jigawa, Adamawa, Benue and Kogi states.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, constituted the committee on behalf of the Federal Government on Saturday in Abuja.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has so far offered grants totalling $634 million to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and international institutions all over the world.
Naoko Ishii of GEF
Head of the organisation in Nigeria, Olabisi Jaji, made the disclosure at the weekend in Abuja at a forum on the GEF small grants programme (SGP) for NGOs. Halima Mohammed spoke on Jaji’s behalf.
Jaji said GEF, which was launched in 1992 as a funding window designed specifically for NGOs and CBOs has through its SGP, made 14,000 small grants directly to these organisations in its 182-member countries.
The programme entails four categories such as full-sized projects (which are from $1 million and above), medium-sized projects (up to $1million dollars), enabling activities ($500,000, $250,000 and $150,000) and small grants (maximum of $50,000).
The objectives of the workshop are: to promote further appreciation and understanding of the GEF’s SGP in Nigeria; to build capacity for advocacy using project results and to engage in consultative processes for multilateral environmental agreements; to showcase some of the results of SGP projects in the country through exhibition; and, to encourage knowledge sharing and build partnerships for environmental initiatives.
Climatologist, Prof. Olukayode Oladipo, called on governments around the world to ensure that they pay attention to the United Nation’s declaration on sustainable development, economic growth and human environment which, he said, would lead to economic transformation of their states.
Principles of the UN declaration, according to Oladipo, want states across the world to cooperate and strengthen endogenous capacity-building for sustainable development by improving scientific understanding through exchanges of scientific and technological knowledge and by enhancing the development, adaptation, diffusion and transfer of technologies, including new and innovative technologies.
To achieve sustainable development and higher quality of life for all people, states were advised to eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and cooperate to promote a supportive and open international economic system that would lead to economic growth.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Taiye Haruna, said NGOs/CBOs have greater roles to play in achieving the objectives of sustainable development and that the huge task facing the world is to determine how to overcome environmental challenges including restoring the natural resources, achieving human health protection and designing strategies to allow for future growth, while protecting the environment, maintaining biodiversity, safeguarding human health and preserving cultural and social values.
“There is no doubt that NGOs/CBOs are making great strides in meeting the environmental challenges, though difficulties and tensions remain common. We all should strive to tackle the environmental challenges facing the nation,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Dr. Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF, has hailed the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. According to her, it is a landmark international agreement to protect the earth’s ozone layer and demonstrates the global benefits that can flow from concerted effort and cooperation to address environmental threats.
The ozone layer in the earth’s upper atmosphere protects living things from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. The phase-out of industrial chemicals under the Montreal Protocol has resulted not only in the recovery of the ozone layer but also has reduced greenhouse gas emissions that contribute significantly to climate change.
“In both its universal acceptance and its focused implementation, the Montreal Protocol is widely recognized as the most successful environmental agreement and is looked to as a model for resolving global environmental challenges,” said Ishii. “GEF investments have helped measurably restore one of our atmosphere’s protective shields while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This demonstrates the multiplier effect we achieve when we identify synergies in our approach to environmental challenges.”
With 197 nations signed as parties to the accord, the Montreal Protocol is the only universally ratified treaty in United Nations history and has, to date, enabled reductions of more than 97 percent of all global consumption and production of controlled ozone depleting substances (ODS). As a result of the Montreal Protocol, concentration of ODS in the atmosphere have begun to decrease.
The GEF funds ozone-protection programs in countries with economies in transition. The GEF has assisted 18 such countries in phasing out ozone-depleting substances under the Montreal Protocol, investing $235 million in support of 29 projects and leveraging co-financing from other sources of an additional $247 million.
Dr. Ishii said that cooperation among the key implementing and funding agencies supporting the Montreal Protocol has been critical to the treaty’s success. In addition to the Ozone Secretariat and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (MLF), the GEF has worked closely with the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation on projects related to the Protocol.
She likewise congratulated Marco Gonzales, Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat, and Maria Nolan, chief officer of the MLF.
On Wednesday, September 19, officials involved in the implementation of the Montreal Protocol will gather at the World Bank to celebrate the 25th anniversary.
Urban planner and erstwhile Secretary, National Housing Policy Council, Yacoob Abiodun, examines the recent decoration of the Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)
Governor Mimiko receiving the UN-Habitat award in Naples, Italy
At the 6th Session of World Urban Forum held in Naples, Italy from September 1-7, 2012, which had in attendance over 5,000 participants from 114 countries around the world, the incumbent Governor of Ondo State, Dr, Olusegun Mimiko, was bestowed with the coveted UN 2012 Habitat Scroll of Honour Award among four other recipients who were chosen from Brazil, Cameroon, China and Zimbabwe.
According to the UN-Habitat press release posted on its website, UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award “is the most prestigious award by the United Nations in recognition of work carried out in the field of human settlements.” The award is meant to appreciate and honour individual’s initiative or institutional programme/project, which impacts positively on the living conditions of urban dwellers through the overall improvement in the totality of their milieu, health, housing and economic welfare.
Since the award was introduced by the UN-Habitat in 1989, very few individuals and institutions have won the Habitat Scroll of Honour Award, China being a record holder of the award having won it 20 times, followed by the United States of America 13 times and United Kingdom 12 times. The first Nigerian to win the coveted UN Award in 1998 was Professor Akin Mabogunje, an erudite international scholar. He won the award mainly in recognition of his intellectual works in areas of research, consultancy and classic books he authored on human settlements and environment. In a book produced by the Cities Alliance (a UN-Habitat affiliate) titled Foundation for Urban Development: Legacy of Akin Mabogunje , to mark his 75th birthday in 2006, the literary icon was described as “ a scholar and practitioner….renowned for translating his theoretical visions into actionable steps and policy interventions, which are useful in political as well as academic circle.”
It took another 14 years before another Nigerian, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, incumbent Governor of Ondo State, to win the UN prestigious award after a competitive selection process by an international jury of human development experts.
Governor Mimiko’s selection as a recipient of the global award was premised on his relentless leadership drive to drastically reduced urban poverty in Ondo State through the initiation and successful implementation of a gamut of urban renewal programmes/projects ranging from low income housing, provision of urban basic services, economic empowerment, redevelopment of decrepit traditional markets, rejuvenation of the urban economy, revival of the comatose agricultural farm settlements, improved intra and inter-city transportation, skill acquisitions for the teeming unemployed youths, physical planning, environmental sanitation, city-wide infrastructure development to urban aesthetics and a host of other tangible projects that dotted major cities in Ondo State such as Ondo, Owo, Okitipupa, Ikare and Ore.
The implementation and coordination of the state-wide urban renewal programmes is on the plank of Governor Mimiko-led administration’s development initiative aptly code named “A Caring Heart.”
It is a truism that majority of Nigerian cities are plagued with numerous challenges, which overtime have become more complex and daunting due to official neglect, lack of commitment from the leadership and the political will to effectively deal with the challenges. Chief among these challenges are uncontrolled urban growth, internal migration, slum proliferation, unwholesome sanitation, rising crime wave, ineffective institutional arrangement for urban management, lack of social safety net, nebulous physical development, weak internally-generated revenue mechanism and lack of urban basic services such as water, electricity, security, health and transportation. For all these enumerated problems to be solved in one fell swoop would be a herculean task, if not an impossibility. However, where there is a political will on the part of the leadership and solidly complemented by the willingness of the citizenry to participate in the development process, fortunes of cities can be turned around for the public good.
It is on this score that Governor Mimiko has the right mindset and a clear understanding of the important role of cities as engine of growth in the overall socio-economic development; and how they could be made to key into his developmental vision for Ondo State when he assumed office as Governor in 2009.
This was evident in his pronouncement ab initio that, “our cities must be redeveloped and upgraded to support our social and economic transformation” (my emphasis). Governor Mimiko went beyond rhetoric by making use of the professional services of experts to facilitate the realisation of his lofty dream to transform Ondo State to an Eldorado for working and living. He appointed a US-trained urban planner by name of Olad Oyewumi whose wit, acumen and technical understanding of contemporary urban issues and challenges are extensive, as his Special Assistant on Urban Renewal. Oyewumi brought his depth of experience of over two decades working as the Co-ordinator of World Bank-Assisted Community-Based Upgrading and the Infrastructure Development Fund (IDF), to bear in the course of all the various urban renewal programme, undertaken in Ondo State from inception to implementation stage.
With an assemblage of other allied professionals, a blue print on Urban Renewal Strategies and Capitalization of Land Resources was produced by the team. The document, in clarity and brevity, stated the goal and objectives of the State’s urban renewal programme, strategies and methodologies to accomplish the goal and enumerated a seven-point guiding principles of the entire urban renewal programme in accord with the principles enunciated in the vision and mission statements of Ondo State Government of which commitment to good governance (my emphasis) is a numero uno priority of the Administration.
It is from the concepts of community development strategies contained in the brochure that formed the basis for the programme initiation and project execution arising therefrom fully backed by Governor Mimiko with generous budgetary allocation from his Administration.
The corollary of the valiant effort and the leadership drive provided by Governor Mimiko to transform towns and cities in Ondo State( by making them conducive for working, living, relaxation and economically viable) coupled with an all-inclusive/ participatory approach adopted in the course of programme implementation gave rise to the establishment of a world class Medical Village with a state-of-the-art medical equipment, skills acquisition centres, Abiye Hospitals, Auto Mart, extensive development of urban road network, Mega schools, ICT centres, provision of open markets, lock shops, micro credit scheme, improved system of waste collection, modernised motor parks, provision of potable water and the inculcation of maintenance culture ( for the projects) among the various stakeholders/ beneficiaries in order to ensure sustainability.
The lessons to be drawn from the Ondo State experience for its world-acclaimed urban renewal programme and indeed Governor Mimiko’s recognition by the United Nations for the award of the prestigious Habitat Scroll of Honour are worthy of elaboration in this piece so that other government functionaries could emulate such outstanding accomplishment for the benefit of the citizenry.
The first lesson is that those saddled with governance should see the opportunity as a privilege (not a right) to serve the people and in the totality of how to better their lives by providing essential services in accord with the wishes of the governed, not acting in a master-servant relationship. Governor Mimiko demonstrated this essential ingredient of good governance to the hilt. He made his administration’s cardinal objective to be people-centered, by constantly caring for the needs of the citizenry.
Secondly, he has a clear understanding of what urbanization (a process of living in the city) is all about. That the process cannot be stopped because people have the illusion that cities are gold mines of several opportunities. Hence, they see city living as the salvation of their economic adversities. Therefore, government cannot put a wedge against where people migrate to or choose to live. On the contrary too, cities are not drain pipes on the municipal budget, but could be transformed into money spinners, if well planned and managed as evident in the success stories of world cities such as New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Toronto, Beijing and Dubai.
Thirdly, it is equally true that, cities are like living organisms. They could die if not nurtured with innovation and periodically revitalised through an all-embracing urban renewal programme. And for optimum performance, cities should be placed on a strong footing of efficient institutional arrangement for their administration and governance, by engaging the expertise of diverse professionals such as urban planners, engineers, administrators, social scientists, financial analysts, transportation planners and accountants all of whom will drive the developmental process under a leadership who is receptive to ideas and exemplary in his/her conduct.
Governor Mimiko understood the importance of the three facts stated above and adopted them as the lodestar to run his administration in Ondo State, most especially in the implementation of his urban renewal programme, which earned him global recognition and a United Nations award. The icing on the cake for the governor is the proper documentation of all he was able to accomplish under the urban renewal programme by producing two well written monographs for public consumption and global dissemination. The documentation is for posterity and a reference material on best practice, which is worthy of emulation in a country like Nigeria where information on any subject matter is usually scanty, outdated, controvertible or misleading.
Numerous communities in Kano State in Nigeria have been submerged following the collapse of the Warawa Dam.
The dam is one of the 120 earth dams in Kano and Jigawa states.
Similarly, thousands of residents in the Kaduna metropolis in Kaduna State have been displaced by flood from the Kaduna River.
Likewise, over 25,000 people in Benue State have so far been displaced as a result of flooding arising from the overflow of the Benue River, the second largest river in the country.
Officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have however said that the organisation is reaching out to areas affected by the disaster.
NEMA’s spokesman, Yushau Shuaib, said: “Some of the communities at risk have remained adamant even as over 25, 000 persons in 14 communities were displaced in Benue State following the overflow of River Benue.”
He added that more areas along the plains of River Benue and River Niger have remained under the threat of flood from the unprecedented rise of water in the upstream dams.
He noted: “In Benue State, NEMA, along with the state government and other stakeholders, have established three camps for the displaced persons while officials have mobilised to the other areas that are also affected by the disaster including Bauchi State. Also, the agency has contacted the relevant states governors and stakeholders as well as launched a series of awareness campaigns and advocacy to sensitise the vulnerable communities on measures to be taken. However, some of the communities have remained adamant not to move to any place of safety and resigned their fate to the act of God.”
Meanwhile, authorities at the Jebba hydroelectric dam has began discrete release of the excess water from the dam to safeguard the facility, signalling a fresh threat of flooding to thousands of communities in several states located along the banks on the River Niger.
Chief executive officer of the hydroelectric power plant, Lamu Audu, attributed the high water level to excessive rainfall this year.
An assessment team comprising officers of NEMA and the stakeholders including the line ministries visited the dam and some of the threatened communities in Kwara and Niger states.
NEMA’s Director of Planning Research and Forecasting, Charles Agbo, who led the team, expressed satisfaction with the manner at which the excess water is being managed.
During the visit to Jebba and Old Jebba which are the two immediate communities located at the downstream of the dam, Dr Agbo advised residents to relocate to the higher grounds for safety.
The team was received by Alhaji Abdulkadir Adebara (Oba of Jebba) at Jebba, and Alhaji Muhammed T. Muhammed at Old Jebba .
Indications have emerged that residents of thousands of communities in Northern Nigeria have begun relocating from their homes in order to avoid being engulfed by flood.
Reports from Kaduna in Kaduna State say that some residents along River Kaduna have fled their homes as a result of flooding.
A flooded community
Our correspondent reports that those affected have either relocated to Hotels or are squatting with relatives.
Reports from Borno, Benue, Nasarawa and Adamawa show that residents of different affected communities are likewise fleeing their homes for alternative safe places.
Thousands of residents in some suburbs in Makurdi, the state capital of Benue State, have continued to flee their environment following the floods occasioned by rain despite measures being taken by appropriate authorities following different warnings by experts and other related agencies.
It was revealed that over 3,000 houses have been affected following reports from Borno, Benue, Nasarawa and Adamawa.
Meanwhile residents of different affected communities are still fleeing their homes for alternative safe places.
Rice Mill settlement and Hausa quarters in Wadata, Kucha Utebe as well as Gyado Villa near Judges Quarter along Gboko Road in Makurdi metropolis has been the areas worst hit by the overflow from the River Benue.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has raised an alarm on the possibility of a food crisis in Adamawa following the recent flood disaster in the state.
Residents, whose properties had been destroyed, were seen making frantic effort to evacuate their families and remaining belongings at noon yesterday in canoes, cars, buses and lorries.
Executive Secretary of the state Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said it had consistently warned residents of the flood prone areas to relocate to higher ground but most of them had remained adamant, just as Governor Suswam had sympathised with the affected residents and called on the Federal Government for a lasting solution to the situation.
Victims have called on government to come to their aide as it is getting out of hand.
One of them, Romeo Dajoh, said that the flood which started like a child’s play on Sunday evening worsened early hours of yesterday and that was why he had to move his family to safety. He therefore called on government to dredge the River Benue because it had become a threat to their lives despite the fact that the houses in the areas were situated about eight kilometers from the river.
Residents of Bulunkutu area of Maiduguri metropolis in Borno State have called on the Borno State Government to come to their aid and pump out the water that submerged their homes since the beginning of this raining season.
The call by the residents followed recent evacuation of water by government from Airport Road and 505 Housing Estate. The Bulunkutu residents called on government to extend the gesture to them.
“The government went and pumped out water on Airport Road and 505 Housing Estate, but we don’t know whether we are not citizen of this state,” a resident complained.
In Nasarawa State, not long after water supply was restored in parts of Keffi and environs, heavy floods occasioned by torrential rains disrupted the supply, forcing residents to scout for alternative arrangements. The development bites harder at Angwan Lambu area of Keffi.
The heavy rain which lasted throughout the night of Friday, August 25, collected storm waters at two bridges at the outskirt of Keffi in Nasarawa State, in what compelled travelers to abort their journeys for fear of being washed down the currents.
The flooded bridges are in Angwan Manyo, near Garaku, along Keffi-Akwanga road and Bokoko along Keffi-Junction-Agwada Road. The flood did not wash off the bridges as experienced in most parts of the state, but the development badly damaged the supply line along the way.
The Nigerian Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the adoption of National Policy on Climate Change and Response Strategy (NPCC-RS), as a National Document for implementing climate activities in the country.
President Goodluck Jonathan
According to the FEC, the nation’s highest decision making body, the approval is to provide the government with a framework for tackling environmental challenges occasioned by global changes in the climate, the effect of which, according to the body, has manifested in increased flooding and rise in sea level.
Minister of Environment, Hadiza Mailafia, who made the disclosure in Abuja on Wednesday, said the policy framework would guide economic and social response of Nigerians to the global trend of climate change.
Being a signatory to Kyoto Protocol, Nigeria’s adoption of the policy will enhance her obligation towards reduction of emission of obnoxious substances in the environment even as it emerged that gas flaring in the country has been reduced to 8% and will improve further as more gas is sent to generate electricity in upcoming power stations, she disclosed.
The council argued that, as party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, Nigeria has the obligation to ensure the reduction of human induced atmospheric carbon emission to a level that will prevent dangerous interface with the climate system.
Nigeria also needs to undertake numerous activities in the areas of adaptation and awareness creation to ensure the implementation of the UNFCCC policies. This obligation requires a coherent policy on climate change that will holistically view climate change from its multi-sectoral perspective.
The policy will explicitly itemise the comprehensive national goals, objective and strategies towards mitigating the consequences of climate change.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has ordered the immediate evacuation of people living along the River Niger plains.
Kainji Dam
Spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Yushau Shuaib, said in Abuja that the alert came because the Kainji and Jebba dams have attained their highest water levels in 29 years which, he declared, is unprecedented in the history of the two facilities.
To avoid a possible collapse of the dams, the authorities may be left with no option but to release some of the water.
This situation, according to Shuaib, has created a high risk of imminent flooding in the downstream of the river.
The residents of the communities are therefore urged to move to higher grounds for safety. The states at risk of the flood are Niger, Kogi, Kwara, Kebbi, Anambra and Delta.
He noted that the agency had already notified the affected states to take the necessary precautionary measures by relocating people from the flood prone areas and activated the National Contingency Plan as well as alerted all stakeholders to take necessary actions in line with their various mandates.
The states are to ensure compliance with the threat in order to avert imminent loss of lives and properties that would certainly arise in the event of flooding, he added.
Furthermore, information available indicates that the gauge for monitoring the flow of water in the river has already exceeded the maximum height by over one meter.
A rapid assessment team comprising officers of NEMA and scientists has left for Jebba and Kainji to further inspect the situation.
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about 4,180 km. Its drainage basin is 2,117,700 km² in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea.
Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in western Nigeria. Construction of the dam began in 1964 and was completed in 1968.
The Jebba Dam is one of the three major dams in Niger State. It was built in 1985. Others are Kainji Dam built in 1968 and Shiroro Dam built in 1990.
The annual large scale flooding experienced in Nigeria following the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon could have been curbed some 30 years ago had the authorities been proactive.
Lagdo Dam
Since 1982 when the dam was built in Lagdo town on the Adamawa Plateau in the Northern Province of Cameroon along the course of the Benue River, lowland communities in north-eastern Nigerian states (of Borno, Adamawa and Taraba) especially those located downstream within the River Benue drainage basin are usually flooded whenever water is released from the reservoir.
Following an agreement involving both nations in 1980, the Nigerian government was supposed embark on a similar venture along the course of the river, ostensibly to contain the gushing water released upstream from Lagdo Dam and curb flooding and attendant destruction of property and loss of lives.
In 1981, a shock-absorber dam was designed. Tagged the “Dasin Hausa Dam,” the multi-purpose facility was, besides cushioning the effect of the Lagdo Dam flooding, supposed to generate some 300mw of electricity and irrigate about 150,000 hectares of land (and provide crop tonnage of 790,000 tons in Adamawa, Taraba and Benue states). Similarly, it was meant to provide employment opportunities for 40,000 families and make available navigational route of the Benue River to the Niger Delta.
The project site is the Dasin Village of Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
But, alas, the idea was taken by the government of the day with a pinch of salt. And, like several other viable proposals, was ignored. Consequently, the flooding and destruction of property and loss of lives continued needlessly – albeit for decades.
Until the carnage that occurred last month, which seemed to remind officials of the forgotten Dasin Hausa Dam plan – more so when Cameroon authorities insisted that, come what may, they would continue to release water to save their dam.
The most recent release of water from the Lagdo Dam several Saturdays ago submerged hundreds of settlements in Adamawa State, killing people and displacing thousands of families. Many were reportedly missing.
The entire upper and lower Benue River basin was extensively flooded.
Worst hit areas are in Fufore, Girei, Yola South, Yola North, Demsa, Numan, Lamorde, Shelleng, Michika, Guyuk and Ganye Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.
Additionally, seven LGAs in Taraba State were affected by the disaster. They are: Jalingo (the state capital), Ardo Kola, Ibbi, Karin Lamido, Wukari, Takum and Lau.
The flooding occurred at night while the victims were asleep, leaving them with no opportunity to salvage property.
Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammad Sani-Sidi, had said: “Reports reaching us from Adamawa State have confirmed that out of the 10,524 affected persons in 10 LGAs, 15 people have lost their lives. The steep elevation of Adamawa Plateau coupled with the sudden release of excess water on 24th August, 2012 has therefore created a great risk of inundation of the lowland communities of north eastern Nigeria especially those located within River Benue drainage basin.
“This sudden release of a large volume of cascading water from the reservoir has put so many communities in this area at risk, threatened human lives, disrupted socio-economic activities, led to environmental degradation and large scale ecological dislocation.”
The scale of the flooding this time around has apparently called attention to the proposal for Nigeria’s version of the Cameroonian reservoir, going by submissions made recently by the Director of Dams in the Ministry of Water Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Adanu.
He said, “It is now imperative for the Federal Government to build a bumper dam to cushion the effect of water released by Lagdo Dam. We are already taking steps to do the construction and we have started looking at how we can improve on the old design. The size of the dam we are looking at will take us 36 months to finish it but right now we know that the original feasibility study that was done in 1982 is a bit outdated.”
He admitted that the flooding that ended lives and sacked thousands from their homes was due to inadequate provision by the Nigerian government to contain the water from the Lagdo Dam. According to him, because of the location of the upper Benue River Basins, which is the primary outflow of the Lagdo Dam, in 1980 an agreement was reached that Nigeria should construct a buffer dam that would help contain water from the River Basins.
Adanu went on: “The Cameroonian government finished the construction of Lagdo Dam in 1982, but Nigeria is yet to develop its own dam. So anytime the Cameroonian government wants to release water from the dam, they always alert the Nigerian government so as to evacuate people to avert casualty.
“The proposed dam, when built, will be 1.4km long, 40mm deep and containing 16 cubic litres of water. Aside being used for flood control, the dam also has some economic benefits like its ability to irrigate 150,000 farmland and hold 20,000 tons of fish annually.”
He stressed that the release of water on the 24th of August following the alert given to the Nigerian government on the 23rd was because of a torrential rainfall that fell the previous night and caused the rise in the water level of the dam.
According to him, the water level of the dam rose dramatically and the spill was overflowed, so Cameroonian officials had to release water from the dam to avoid breakage of the dam which, he stated, would have been more disastrous.
“They released water in a large amount to ensure that the dam remains in one piece. It was not like they were not professionally behaved; they knew exactly the danger. It is our own responsibility to contain the water.”
He emphasised that the Cameroonians have strictly followed protocol wherein when the water level rose, they would inform Nigeria. “But, this time around, the water level of the dam was too high that they had to release water to prevent a dam breakage.”
Adanu stated that the new dam would take up to 36 months to build, adding that all hands must be on deck to achieve this goal. He said government is considering the idea of involving private sector players in the execution of the project.
But Saidu Njidda of the Foundation for Public-Public Partnerships Nigeria said that efforts to bring private investors on the board of the Federal Water Resources Ministry were being thwarted by government bureaucracy.
He said that since the release of excess water from Cameroon cannot be stopped, construction of the Dasin Hausa Dam remained the best option.
The death toll from flooding in north eastern Nigeria after heavy rain and the release of water from a dam in Cameroon has risen to 30, with some 120,000 people displaced, an official has disclosed.
A flooded community
Water was released from the Lagdo Dam in late August in neighbouring Cameroon after officials there had warned Nigeria earlier. The opening of the dam led to flooding along the Benue River in Nigeria.
“So far we have recorded 30 deaths from the flooding caused by the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon,” said Shadrach Daniel, secretary of the emergency management agency in Adamawa state.
“Twenty people are still missing. The flood has displaced 121,000 people, with 61,000 living in 30 camps across the state.”
Daniel’s agency had reported 10 deaths in late August. A cholera outbreak had also occurred, with 65 cases recorded, but no deaths, he said.
Flooding this rainy season in various parts of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, with some 160 million people, had already killed dozens. Much of the country has been affected by heavy seasonal rainfall.
Flooding often leads to widespread displacements and casualties during the West African rainy season, as well as disease outbreaks due partly to poor sanitation.
The government in Niger, which also neighbours Nigeria, said last week that at least 68 people had been killed and nearly 500,000 displaced by flooding since July.
