Ayo Oyoze Baje
“We cannot replace everything you have lost, but we are here to support you in every way we can.”-Governor Umar Muhammed Bago of Niger state ( while commiserating with families of the victims of the flood disaster )
‘Just before the floods’ happens to be the title of the opinion essay of yours truly, first published in May 2013 and updated virtually every year, as a warning to all the stakeholders, on the crying need to take proactive measures to avert further casualties brought about by the recurring, flooding floods.
The said article was informed by one of the worst flooding disasters in Nigeria, which occurred back in 2012. It affected 30 states, especially Benue and Kogi, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The floods reportedly killed 363 persons, displaced over 2.1 million people, and affected an estimated total of seven million people. NEMA placed the damage and losses caused by the floods at N2.5 trillion. Devastating, was it not? Yes, it was!
Yet, the fear – fuelling fury of the recent flood, which took place in Mokwa, Niger State beginning with the early rains on May 28, 2025 has come up as a worse – case scenario. The devastating effects that wasted as many as between 200 to 700 lives, including entire family members flushed into the turbulent River Niger are telling on us. It should therefore be a wake-up call on all of us to do the needful when it matters most.
So harrowing was the enormity of the tragedy that, according to media reports,
One Farida Auwalu lost seven children. Another bereaved family head, by the name Mohammed Tanko, said he lost at least 15 people from his household. In addition, over 3,000 people were displaced, more than 265 houses were destroyed, and 503 households were affected. Also, some important infrastructure, including three bridges, was washed away, cutting off traffic between the northern and southern parts of the country. Yet, the flood was predicted by NiMET. months before it happened. The inability to prevent the raging tide of the flood underscores where the problem lies.
Agreed, that the devastating dynamics of climate change have become a global challenge due to global warming, but that does not mean that we should fold our arms when we are supposed to act. Not at all! For the record, ReliefWeb reported major flood disasters in Peru and Ecuador in January, Botswana in February, Tanzania, Bolivia, Iraq, Argentina in March, and the DR Congo in April. Before then, flood incidents also took place in Pakistan, Afghanistan, through Indonesia to Baden-Wurttemberg, and Bavaria in Germany, where lives were lost in May 2024. Also, floods have overrun parts of Kenya, Algeria, and Haiti. On May 28, melting glaciers wiped out Blatten, a Swiss village of 300 residents, from the world map. Before then, geologists warned in 2024 that the ice was melting due to heat, which forced the Swiss authorities to evacuate Blatten.
It is therefore time to rise above the raging waves of the furious floods with a collective action. That is specifically so in tackling the root causes of the seasonal floods, traced to global warming.
With specific regards to the latest flood disaster in Mokwa, Niger state, it is traced to a combination of factors such as the impact of environmental and infrastructural neglect. That is in addition to poor disaster preparedness, which is exacerbated by climate change.
Worthy of note is that Mokwa is an important central market acting as a transit hub connecting northern food producers with southern traders. Unfortunately, the flood has left serious damage not only by the destruction of infrastructure and commerce, but also increased the number of citizens who are displaced, suffering from preventable hunger and are vulnerable to attacks by insurgents as well as debilitating diseases.
As for intervention from the
the Niger state government the governor, Bago applauded for his people-orientef policies has awarded a 7 billion contract for the construction of the Mokwa- Raba Road and four bridges. The project reportedly aims to improve transportation and enhance connectivity, particularly for communities recently devastated by the life-wasting flood. He announced this during a visit to Tiffin Madza Primary School, where internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently taking refuge. He used that opportunity to reaffirm the state’s commitment to rebuilding affected communities and restoring hope to displaced families.
Furthermore, the governor announced a 1 billion naira donation to fast-track the resettlement of the displaced citizens affected by the disaster.
Noteworthy is that the state government has directed the Ministry of Lands to issue a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to the Federal Government to facilitate the resettlement process.It will be used for the construction of permanent housing, including essential infrastructure such as health facilities, schools, and proper drainage systems with culverts to reduce the deleterious effects of future flooding. As reported, the Niger flooding incident occurred five months after Governor Mohammed Bago announced that the state had secured a $10 million World Bank facility with the noble objective to arrest gully erosion in some parts of Mokwa. Unfortunately, the harm has been done.
Much as these interventions are timely and commendable, prevention remains safer and cheaper than a cure. So, what is the best way forward? That is the million-dollar question.
According to experts, the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather conditions in Nigeria are inimical to a stable environment. They are indeed responsible for climate change. This has led to heavier rainfall concentrated in shorter periods, making available drainage and flood management systems inadequate and obsolete.
Many parts of Nigeria, including Mokwa, suffer from inadequate drainage infrastructure. Existing drainage channels are often clogged with a huge mass of waste, preventing proper water runoff. Population explosion and rapid, unregulated urban expansion have led to the construction of buildings in flood-prone areas, reducing the land’s natural ability to absorb water.
What all these factors bring to the forefront is the increasing need for the application of modern technology to stem the tides of the rising floods, and also sustained public enlightenment on the part of the people. They should understand and actively engage in tree planting, proper waste disposal, and clearing of blocked gutters and canals. This is because it has been discovered that the clearing of vegetation for agriculture and development is responsible for diminishing the land’s capacity to retain rainfall, increasing surface runoff and the risk of floods.
There should also be a proper management of dams as some residents suspect that a burst or discharge from one of the three major dams there in Niger State may have exacerbated the flooding.
On a general note, lasting lessons have to be learnt from previous flood disasters that took place between August and September 2024 in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. The BAY states, as they are fondly called were devastated by flooding disasters, which plunged thousands of residents into humanitarian crises.
Going forward, state governors should be prudent in the use of the Ecological Funds, listen to and apply the warnings as given by NiMET and be proactive in the discharge of their policies on environmental protection.
