By Engineer Abdullahi Usman
It’s evident that governments carry the entire indictment for the prevalent cases of flooding that have arisen over the past two years. Governments at various levels were notified about the possible risks of mismanagement of the dams, which could lead to siltation and eventual causes of flooding. Still, the notifications were not considered serious due to the unchauvinistic minds of the leaders.
For example, a group of researchers in Borno state conducted research in the year 2020 (four years before the catastrophic flood in 2024) and suggested that “In line with ensuring a yearly audit of the impact of Alau dams, the government should embark on an expansion programme for the dam and a de-sedimentation scheme of the dam floor as well. This will reduce the hazard of impurity in the water and also mitigate to a great extent the overflow of water into farmlands and settsettlements”
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In addition, a lot of recommendations preceded this, but the government jettisoned all the research-backed suggestions until the foreseeable disaster happened in 2024.
The gravity of the negligence can only be assessed when acquainted with the post-disaster actions of the governments. During the flood, the government has promised to prioritise the welfare of the affected communities and initiate an immediate rehabilitation project of the Alau dam, but no significant development has been achieved for one year.
Three months ago, Shehu of Borno appealed to the government to accelerate and fast-track the rehabilitation project as the rainy season had already begun. In his response to the appeal, the governor of Borno acknowledged that the “truth is that the work is not progressing as expected” due to the necessary need for federal government intervention, which eventually ceased. My question here is, where is the money raised after the flood?. More than 20 billion naira was raised as donations by the foremost business tycoons and philanthropists in the country, but the state government is craving for only 762 million to execute the project from the federal government.
To cut a long story short, governments at both federal and state levels bargain the lives of millions of people with a meagre amount of money for unconditional rapacities. In fact, a few days ago (10th September, 2025), which was exactly one year from the catastrophic flood, the BBC reviewed the state of well-being of the involved communities and the stage of the rehabilitation project of the dam. Unfortunately, it was discovered that the threat of recurrence of the flood is looming over the involved communities, and the possibility of repeating the flood has created unease among many residents bearing the scars of last year’s flood.
As our governments lack sincerity of purpose, similar cases of negligence could be observed in other states where the floods occurred last year. This could also be a reason that makes flooding an annual event in some parts of the country, although the intensity varies from one year to another.
In general, to prevent both fluvial and pluvial flooding in Nigeria, rivers and dams require a combination of infrastructural and ecologically based solutions. Infrastructural-based solutions include dredging, siltation, embankment and urban planning. Ecologically based solutions include integrated watershed management, afforestation and wetland restoration. In addition to direct flood control projects, ecologically based solutions will complement climate change mitigation practice through a natural carbon sequestration method. These kinds of projects should prevail in Nigeria, especially the frontline states at risk of flooding, which include Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Rivers and Taraba, etc. Unfortunately, the extent of governments’ negligence far outweighs their conscience to act accordingly.
Conversely, in addition to flood control, these projects have a lot of spin-offs, because they unveil a means of boosting the economy in most cases. Irrigation, fishing, grazing and logistics are mostly encouraged through flood control projects. Governments should consider these as a means of supplementing their money and accelerating climate change mitigation practices through flood control. A lot of taxes could be generated through the projects.
In addition to the negligence, political rivalry and sectionalism have adverse effects on hindering flood control projects in Nigeria. For example, the Baro port project in Niger state could be featured as a mega project capable of controlling the flood occurrence in not only the northern part of Nigeria, but also the southern part of Nigeria. It is also capable of generating huge taxes for the country worth billions of naira monthly. Many regimes have passed and abandoned the project for decades. The only regimes that have tried to redevelop the project were Yar’aduwa’s regime, which is the most serious regime about the project, and Buhari’s regime. The eventual death of Umaru Musa Yardauwa was a doomsday for the project in his regime. While Buhari’s regime ended up with treacherous and deceptive completion of the project, it is evidently mendacious.
I bet that the incumbent regime will not do anything on the project despite all the calls by the governor of the Niger state and Nigerian Heads of state, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Abdulsalamu Abubakar (rtd), to expedite action on the Baro Inland Port and make it fully operational. The two retired generals pledged their support for the project given its significance to the economic revival of the country. Although, the government has recently claimed some commitments to continue with the project due to its surreptitious idea of attracting the votes from the people who care about the project, nothing will be done, because the project is actually against the interest of the president of Nigeria for making Lagos great as he promised.
Moreover, it will be more excruciating to believe that negligence is an attribute of African leaders, especially in matters of climate change. Scientists and climate change advocates have been questioning the gradual but permanent shrinkage of Lake Chad for many years. Specifically, this question focuses on four countries bordering Lake Chad: Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.
The drastic shrinkage of Lake Chad, historically the 11th largest lake in the world, which has lost 90 percent of its surface area between 1963 and 1990 due to the combined effects of climate change and global population growth. Theoretically, Lake Chad’s shrinkage has an ambiguous effect of creating valuable land as the water recedes. In the case of Lake Chad, despite the increased land availability, the adverse economic effects on key sectors such as fishing, farming, and herding outweigh any positive effects.
Overall, the shrinkage of Lake Chad has led to a significant negative impact on the economy, with far-reaching implications for the regions bordering the lake. The consequences are beyond mere economic losses; they also impact the overall welfare and resilience of communities reliant on Lake Chad’s resources. Moreover, Lake Chad became the arena of armed terrorists. Dredging and reforestation were identified as some of the Lake Chad’s revival projects, yet the water keeps on dwindling in the lake helplessly under the watch of the Chad basin member countries.
Furthermore, poor management of the urban and regional planning system is among the foremost causes of flooding, especially in cities. Only governments have the burden to plan and manage urban areas, taking care of ecological systems that, when compromised, could spell disaster, but the attributable negligence of governments made it possible for land owners to plan areas the way they like, especially in ghetto areas where “awon igiya” is common. In cities, wealthy people proudly buy and fill the ponds with sand to build the structures of their choice. This is also common in a yuppified area where there is high structural competition among the wealthy people. It’s very important to note that ponds are a natural means of water containment, especially in flood-prone areas, and governments should give them critical consideration for urban and regional planning.
Usman, a lecturer and climate change advocate, writes from Bauchi, Nigeria. He could be reached via usabdul@atbu.edu.ng
