EVERY year in Nigeria, a substantial number of lives are inadvertently wasted to floods and other preventable deaths due to lack of proper planning, ignorance, fraud, corruption, and the nonchalant attitude of those in government and the led.
Just few days ago, over 200 lives were lost in Mokwa, Niger State, when torrential rain washed away homes, shops, Mosques, and other makeshift structures that now define the essence of average Nigerians. In fact, a total of 265 structures were washed away by the flood. Most of the houses were made of vulnerable building materials such as mud, zinc and wood, sited within a flood-prone zone.
When the rain started, many did not believe that it would take such a devastating toll. Many are still reeling from the casualty figures, which continue to rise steadily as the days go by. From 15 to 50, then to over 100. It was when the figures climbed to over 200 that realization dawned that we have a major disaster on our hands. Even at that, many of the locals are estimating more than 500 souls may have been lost as more than 300 people are still unaccounted for.
Now, the entire Mokwa town is in grief. Loved ones have been torn apart by sudden death. Many fathers watched helplessly as their wives and children were washed away. Some temporarily escaped death hanging on roof tops of houses only for those structures to also give way. One of the lucky survivors, Adamu Yusuf, lost his wife and new born baby in the flood. He was quoted as saying “l watched helplessly as water washed away my family. I survived because I could swim.”
“Many others weren’t so lucky. Farida Auwalu, another lone survivor from a family of 16, lost seven children in the deluge. The bodies of four of Farida’s children have been found and buried. She is still hoping against hope to see the remaining bodies to give them a decent burial and have some closure from the traumatic incident. The mental trauma those affected are going through now can only be imagined.
Rescue efforts took time to get to the distressed in Mokwa. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was nowhere to the found when it mattered most. When the agency finally showed to redeem themselves, it was 24 hours after disaster struck, and even at that, the earth-moving caterpillar it got to dig out possible survivors buried under the mud, packed up, forcing the agency to stop searching for survivors after 48 hours with the belief that no one could still be found alive by then. They shifted their attention to digging up dead bodies buried under the mud instead.
But desperate family members continued the search for their loved ones using bare hands and other crude implements. It was a race against time. There was little or nothing that could be done to salvage the situation.
The Mokwa tragedy speaks to how unprepared we are as a nation to manage emergencies.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, in April, unveiled the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook, which indicated that 1,249 communities across 176 local government areas in 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory fall within the high flood-risk areas in 2025.
The states, which the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency identified as high flood-risk were Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo and Jigawa. Others are Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara. According to the forecast, 657 communities in 52 local government areas are expected to experience high flood risk between April and June.
Another 544 communities in 142 local government areas between July and September; and 484 communities in 56 local government areas from October to November.
Moderate flood risk is also projected for 445 communities in 116 local government areas from April to June; 1,458 communities in 271 local government areas from July to September, and 1,473 communities in 171 local government areas between October and November.
The federal government and state governments warn Nigerians living in those flood-prone areas to leave and find shelter elsewhere every year. The question however is where should they go? Why would those in government ask people to leave their homes without providing alternative accommodation for them? Indeed, those in government do not care about the welfare of the people they govern, while the masses are also too poor to think rationally that it is in their best interest to leave these flood-prone disaster areas.
Perhaps, the Mokwa tragedy would be an eye-opener for the masses who choose to live in flood-prone areas to move to safer grounds when the rainy season approaches. The devastation in Mokwa was total. Over 265 buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, two major roads were cut-off, five key bridges collapsed, including the vital Goodwill Bridge along Mokwa-Jaba Road. As expected, the entire country felt the impact of the flood as prices of foodstuff, especially pepper and tomatoes, went up during the Sallah festival. Trucks conveying those items to other parts of the country could not move for several days due to the damaged roads and bridges.
In Nigeria, experts point to the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather because of climate change. This has led to heavier rainfall concentrated in shorter periods, making traditional drainage and flood management systems inadequate. Many areas in Nigeria, including Mokwa, suffer from inadequate drainage infrastructure. Existing drainage channels are often clogged with waste, preventing proper water runoff. Again, rapid and unregulated urban expansion has led to construction in flood-prone zones, reducing the land’s natural ability to absorb water. The clearing of vegetation for agriculture and development has diminished the land’s capacity to retain rainfall, increasing surface runoff and flood risk.
Niger, Nigeria’s largest state by landmass, is home to three major dams – Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro – which contribute significantly to the country’s electricity grid. A fourth dam is under construction. The state has been prone to flooding in recent times. In April, water released from one of the dams destroyed more than 5,000 farms in 30 communities, including Mokwa. Reports suggested it was the sixth flood in the state this year.
In 2022, floods killed more than 600 people in Nigeria, displaced about 1.4 million people, and destroyed 440,000 hectares of farmland. Yet, we are still unable to prevent those avoidable deaths or reduce the grim casualty figures. Although Mokwa was identified as one of the local government areas that were at risk of being flooded, the magnitude at which it occurred was unprecedented, due to our lack of preparedness.
It is quite sad that both the Federal and state governments are yet to institutionalise sustainable flood control measures. The body language of most governments seems to be that of treading the familiar course of the fire brigade approach of providing ‘relief materials’ after disaster strikes.
Not soon after, they resume business as usual. The usual recourse is to use the state emergency management agencies to address disasters, both natural and man-made. Worst still, many of these agencies do not seem adequately capable of handling mitigation, rescue, evacuation, and other disaster response measures. They mainly distribute relief materials, even though in a very limited manner.
Since we are under a democratic dispensation, state and federal legislators, particularly from the flood-prone areas, have the important role of bringing up the issue of flood and disaster management under matters of urgent attention under constituency projects, or special intervention from the appropriate government agencies. The Niger flooding incident occurred five months after Governor Mohammed Bago announced that the state had secured a $10 million World Bank facility to arrest gully erosion in some parts of Mokwa. What has happened to the funds, as well as the three percent that is usually allocated as ecological funds by the federal government every year?
The Ecological fund is an intervention Fund by the Federal Government to address the multifarious ecological challenges in various communities across the country. This special fund was established in 1981 through the Federation Account Act 1981, on the recommendation of the Okigbo Commission. Decree 36 of 1984 and 106 of 1992 as well as the allocation of Federation Account modification order of 2002 subsequently modified the Act.
The Fund, which originally constituted one percent (1%) of the Federation account was reviewed to 2% in 1992, and later 1% of the derivation allocation was added, thus bringing the total percentage to three percent (3%). The prime objective of this initiative was to have a pool of funds that would be solely devoted to ecological projects to ameliorate serious ecological problems nationwide. Several years after, many state governors misuse the funds, while government officials treat it as ‘manna from heaven’, to be used as they wish.
With over 13,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance and the possibility of more flash flooding occurring, the federal government had to rush to Mokwa, donating N2 billion and 20 trucks of grains to the affected community. Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu, said that the federal government would rebuild and restore the vibrancy for which Mokwa is noted for.
Tinubu is in Lagos enjoying his Sallah holiday, while Shettima is in Abuja. After the visit, the people of Mokwa are once more left to their fate. And with their Governor in Saudi Arabia for Hajj, it is the deputy governor, Yakubu Garba, that is on ground manage the Mokwa tragedy. An Internally Displaced Camp has been opened for those affected, but many of the locals have refused to move in there on the excuse that the place was ‘not habitable’.
However, the World Health Organisation, (WHO) is conducting a public health risk assessment in Mokwa to respond to potential epidemic-prone diseases and other health threats, and preparing to send emergency medical supplies and equipment to support primary health care.
Flooding, a natural disaster, carries a range of consequences from immediate risks to long-term impact on human health, infrastructure, the environment, and economy. Businesses can be disrupted, leading to job losses and economic downturns. It can lead to loss of lives through drowning and health injuries, damage to properties, essential infrastructure, and displacement of population – people may be forced to evacuate their homes and may experience long-term displacement.
Additionally, flooding can contaminate water sources, increase the risks of waterborne diseases like cholera and hepatitis, and disrupt vital services like electricity and water treatment. Roads, bridges and other public infrastructure can be damaged, hindering access to essential services. Floods can destroy crops, leading to food shortages and economic losses.
Is it not time for those in government and the led to pay closer attention to these natural disasters and see how to minimise their devastating effects, if not their occurrences? Why can’t we effectively prevent them despite the warning signs and past experiences?
We need thinkers in government who can come up with practical solutions to the yearly flood disasters in Nigeria instead of just telling us where to expect floods and ordering residents to vacate their homes.
See you next week.
- Akintunde is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Glittersonline newspaper. His syndicated column, Monday Discourse, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Mondays.