NEMA, the National Emergency Management Agency, has issued a dire warning concerning the imminent threat of flooding in eight states, including Benue, Kogi, and others.
These states, namely Taraba, Nasarawa, Anambra, Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa, are on high alert, with Adamawa already facing the brunt of the flood.
Mustapha Ahmed, the Director General of NEMA, sounded the alarm during a critical emergency meeting held in Abuja on Saturday, October 7th.
This impending disaster can be attributed to the recent release of water from the Cameroon Lagdo Dam. The Cameroonian government had, in August, communicated with NEMA, notifying them of their intentions to open the floodgate of the Lagdo Dam. This advisory urged NEMA to take proactive measures to minimize the potential damages.
It urged NEMA to specifically sensitise Nigerians living around the region who might be affected by the released water.
“The authorities of the Ladgo Dam will be releasing only modulated variable small amount of water at a time in order to mitigate and avoid damages that the released water may cause along River Benue basin in both Cameroon and in Nigeria,” Cameroon stated the letter to NEMA.
Speaking at the emergency meeting on Saturday in reaction to the flood disaster that affected Adamawa State from October 4, Ahmed said NEMA was alerted to the suddenly increased inundation of riparian communities and farmlands along the banks of River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba, and Benue states in the past 48 hours.
“Situation reports from Adamawa State confirm the upsurge of floodwaters along the flood plains of River Benue. The situation is expected to be replicated in the downstream states of Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa Kogi, Anambra, and Edo. Delta and Bayelsa as the River Benue joins River Niger and flows to the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta,” he said.
He said the sudden situation was attributed to the rapid release of waters from Lagdo Dam in the Republic of Cameroon, adding that it had displaced residents of the affected communities.
He stressed that croplands and valuable infrastructure were at risk of getting washed away by flood waters.
“As a result of the unfolding situation, I want to use this opportunity to alert authorities of state and local governments along rivers Niger and Benue basin areas to immediately activate their emergency response plans to avert potential damage and losses that will arise due to inundation of communities by flood waters.
“Furthermore, we are expecting to receive updates from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) NIMET, NEMA Operations Office in Yola Adamawa state and from State Emergency Agencies of the frontline states to keep on updating you on the situation as it unfolds,” Ahmed said.
He went on to explain that, according to the Agency’s dashboard, this year’s flood scenario had a significant impact. It affected a total of 159,157 people, resulting in the tragic loss of 28 lives and the displacement of 48,168 individuals. This widespread impact extended across 13 states.
In September 2022, excessive water released from the Lagda dam, alongside continuous heavy rainfall, displaced 1.4 million Nigerians from their homes, and about N700 billion in agricultural investments were lost.
The federal government had recently disclosed that 32 states, 178 local government areas (LGAs) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were at risk of heavy flooding in 2023.
In several flood series reports, The ICIR had captured some states’ supposed preparations and mitigation plans towards the 2023 prediction.
