News Of Massive Flood Leaves Nigerians Panicking

Early this year, the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET), released its annual precipitation report in which it predicted that rainfall will come late and it will also stop early. The agency stated that there was a possibility of massive flooding in the middle of the season. Part of this prediction has already come to pass. In the far north, there was panic as the rain came too late and this affected the prices of some seasonal crops, such as tomatoes, which witnessed the highest increase in July within the last two decades. There is still the danger that some crops will be seriously affected by this anomaly. But the most worrisome problem now is the threat of floods which was further compounded by the recent release of water by Cameroon from Ladgo Dam. The Dam is already full to the brim and there is the danger that if the waters are not gradually released, it might burst and cause serious havoc along its course. Invariably, states like Taraba, Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Edo, Anambra, Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa States in in danger of flood related disasters. Even before the release of the water from Ladgo Dam, there were cases of floods in Benue, Kaduna, Sokoto and Cross Rivers States. This resulted in the death of two people and destruction of millions of naira worth of goods and properties. We are beginning to witness a scenario similar to the devastating floods of 2012 which was one of the worst in the nation’s recorded history.



Some states have already started alerting communities on the flood plains, especially those who are living within the levee areas to start evacuating to higher grounds.The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is also at work alerting communities within the danger areas and and combining it with plans for any emergency. The Federal Ministry of Water Resources has assured the nation that the newly completed Kashimbila Dam in Taraba state would contain 30 percent of the water from Cameroon just as work will soon commence on Dasin Hausa Dam which will contain the remaining 70 percent.

In our opinion, the federal and state governments’ handling of the impending disaster is very poor since they are already aware of NIMET prediction and the serious dangers posed by the dam in Cameroon. In the first place, people should never be allowed to build on levee plains because it is the territory of the river and at the height of the raining season, water will always fill this space. Moreover, since the government is aware of the threat of Ladgo Dam, it should have taken appropriate steps to build adequate barriers to contain this menacing water. Our overall response to anticipated disaster has always been very poor. This is one area that the new administration must urgently review to reduce the impact of any flood catastrophe.