When Cameroon built the Lagdo dam in the 80s, Nigeria was advised to build a buffer dam downstream. She never did. The great floods in Kogi and other states, may be an outcome of a system that went to sleep when it needed to be awake.
Asleep for 30 years
The recent floods in Kogi State and several other parts of Nigeria, is really the story of how oil-rich refused to act when given good advice, and simply went to sleep for 30 years. The story is a vivid one: In 1982, Nigeria was still awash with petro dollars, and building the dam then would have been easy. On the Lagdo dam, environews Nigeria states that "the annual large scale flooding experienced in Nigeria following the release of water from the Lagdo dam in Cameroon could have been curbed some 30 years ago had the authorities been proactive... Following an agreement involving both nations in 1980, the Nigerian government was supposed to embark on a similar venture along the course of the river."
In 1981, a dam was designed, and it was named the 'Dasin Hausa dam. The website adds that "but alas, the idea was taken by the government of the day with a pinch of salt. And, like several other viable proposals, was ignored," Dr. Emmanuel Adanu, Director of Dams, Ministry of Water Resources said recently. His words: "it is now imperative for the Federal Government to build a buffer dam to cushion the effect of water released by Lagdo dam...The size of the dam we are looking at will take us 36 months to finish, but right now we know that the original feasibility study that was done in 1982 is a bit outdated.'
"The proposed dam when built will be 1.4 kilometres long, 40mm deep and containing 16 cubic litres of water," Dr. Aminu Raji, immediate past head of the National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research New Bussa, told Weekly Trust, adding that "there is supposed to be a buffer dam at Dasin Hausa in Adamawa State, but the project is still pending. There is supposed to be the River Chochi development project started by the defunct PTF. That could have reduced and/or helped in flood control. There is need for government to revisit the project."
He said the "existence of dams is supposed to be a positive development in flood control. A series of dams are necessary along the river course to control flood. Where rivers like the Niger and the Benue cross international boundaries, there are international agreements relating to the harnessing and use of such rivers. Examples are the Niger Basin Authority in the case of the River Niger, and the Lake Chad Basin Commission in the case of the Lake Chad."
In Kogi State alone 10,000 persons have been displaced by the floods, and property worth N40billion have been destroyed, so says the state government. Today, the emergency services are overstretched, and a source close to one of them confirms this much to Weekly Trust. There are many who still feel that all this agony would have been avoided if 30 years ago the Nigerian government had heeded the advice from Cameroon and built the buffer dam downstream. One respondent adds that this neglect is "a vivid example of misgovernance, and an illustration of the anti- people policies of numerous Nigerian governments over time."
Below victims of the flood in Kogi State tell their stories. Their pain was created by a deep seated system of official neglect and forgetfulness.
River Ganaja
The flood affected large portions of Ganaja, a 250-year-old community in the state. Here, flood waters have taken over about 300 metres of the main road leading into the community, and left and right of this main road are clear signs of flooding with many houses submerged. This is a new river, and it is a big shock to anyone who might have passed through Ganaja in the past. No driver, for instance, was prepared to find a river at that point in Ganaja. Now anyone who wishes to travel to Idah has to drive through the 500 Unit estate, along a winding, bumpy road until he reconnects with the main road. Last Tuesday, there was a traffic gridlock within the 500 Unit estate. The flood has buried houses, shops, petrol stations, restaurants and even resting spots for the people. In some places, just the roof tops of houses are all that are left.
A thriving transport business which uses canoes has sprung up, practically overnight. There are hand paddled, as well as engine powered boats available at Ganaja, and a huge crowd gathers by the new waterfront to look at the unfolding developments. A trailer tries to brave its way through the river and gets stuck. The people laugh, also because the waves created by the trailer almost capsized a passing canoe.
Young men saw a need and rose to the occasion. Israel Brialade has suddenly become a big player in the canoe business at Ganaja. He conveys people from the 500 Units estate to the Ganaja Primary School. It is N50 per person, and he makes some 5,000 Naira every day. He says that he has lost his house which is now somewhere in the middle of the rising river. Mohammed Abubakar has a flying boat. He too began the business last week as soon as the community became flooded. He said he makes some 3,000 to 4,000 Naira every day. Isyaka Musa is the Vice Chairman Maritime, Lokoja Zone. He anticipates a food crisis because of the great loss of farmlands. On the affected persons, he says "when the water recedes, the people won't have money to rebuild their houses, and they have also lost many farmlands and countless livestock," adding that the last time he saw a flood like this was in 1969, and this was when he was at Lokoja.
Alhaji Yahaya Umaru is the Chief of Ganaja. He says that his people have suffered greatly on account of the flood. His words: "The people are looking for shelter. They have lost their farms, and their means of livelihood as well. Fishing is not possible because of the water level. Their rice and cassava farms are all gone, and their houses have collapsed because of the vast water. Equally, the network of roads from the north to the east has been cut, and the economy is at a standstill."
He said already the cost of foodstuff has started to rise. "Formerly, it cost 8,000 Naira for a bag of rice, but now it is 12,000 Naira. Related to this is the cost of transport. It used to cost 70 Naira as fare from here to Lokoja. Now it costs 140 Naira," Alhaji Umaru said, adding that he and his people have never experienced this kind of flood before, and that floods occurred in 1969 as well as in 1945,but not to the degree or extent of the present flood.
According to him, the roads around Ganaja have weakened on account of the flooding, and he opines that the absence of drainages at the side of the roads in Ganaja directly resulted in the great flood. .In Ajaokuta Local Government Area, eight communities were affected by the flood, and Ganaja, easily the most developed of all the communities, was the worst hit.
Lokoja: the great gridlock
Last Sunday, it was impossible to enter Lokoja using the normal road. This is because flood waters have seized parts of the road, effectively halting movement into the town. A few kilometres to Lokoja, movement became impossible. It was a 2,000 Naira motorcycle trip that made entry to Lokoja possible. People made their way along a bush path which passed close to a hill, and finally reconnected with the flooded road. Here, there was brisk commercial activity. Men with canoes were conveying passengers from one end of the flooded road to the next, and making brisk money. Some would lift a person across the water for a fee. The ever present commercial motorcyclists or Okada were there too, trying to make some quick money. Here buses tried to make their way through the flooded road, and some had to be pushed. Of course, this was done for a fee. There was pure bedlam there. Everybody became a traffic warden, guiding the traffic in ways he alone saw fit. Then people passed all of this and began to see miles and miles of silent trucks and trailers. One whole section of Lokoja's main street was completely taken over by these unmoving vehicles. If you wish to leave Lokoja, and this refers to conditions as at last Tuesday, it would be necessary to make a 40-minute journey by ferry at 500 Naira per person across the River Niger. You board the ferry at Mpata. A car is charged 10,000 to 13,000 Naira to be conveyed by ferry. All of a sudden the ferry boarded by this reporter stopped on the Niger. The engine went silent. No explanation was given. Very soon the engine came to life again.
There are several camps in Lokoja for the use of flood victims in Kogi State. One of these is the St Luke's Primary School, Adankolo. Destiny Sule is one of the victims. His words: "the flood came at a time we did not expect, and it is not easy for us who are civil servants. We were evacuated from the waterside, and brought to this school. The water was coming gradually, and at first we thought it was a joke." Ibrahim Momoh Adankolo tells Weekly Trust: "I was in my house when water began trickling in. I lost my building which has 16 rooms. It is completely immersed in water and it is only the zinc roof you can see peeping from the water."
Idah's many, many refugees
Gabriel Oyibo is a farmer and fisherman and lost his farming products and fishing nets to the flood at Ibaji. He told Weekly Trust at the Qua Iboe Church Idah, which is one of several refugee camps in the town, that in the past he used to make 2,500 Naira from the fish trade every day. He also made 200,000 Naira annually from his rice business. "Now all this is no more, as the fishing spots have been swallowed by the water, while choice rice growing areas have been flooded," he said, adding that he used to earn 240,000 Naira annually from the sale of Yams.
Ocheje John is another fisherman from Ibaji. He experienced many losses too. His words: "I lost eight bundles of fishing nets, and these cost 3,000 Naira per bundle. I also lost two canoes." In the past he used to realise 20,000 Naira from the sale of fish every day."
He said Ibaji is a fertile part of the state, and is famous for the cultivation of crops such as yams and rice. It is also famous for fish. On his farm, he says "water buried my farm. I also lost 320 yam seedlings. I have lost this year's harvest." Cecilia Gabriel, also from Ibaji, speaks of deplorable conditions in the camp. She says that there is no light and water, and that there are many mosquitoes. She shows this reporter an average sized class room and says that ten families live there. At the time of the visit the refugees didn't have mattresses to sleep on.
Mrs. Mary James is a widow and a grain farmer. She says that she lost everything to the flood. This includes her house, and she has three children to look after. Jonathan Ebiloma, a contractor at Idah and a former journalist, also visited the camp to distribute foodstuff to the refugees. His words: "I came because I saw the refugee situation caused by the flood. When I arrived on Friday, I saw the situation and I became touched by it. I saw how people tried to evacuate from the ravaged area, unassisted by the government or anyone. I saw how a lot of them had difficulty in getting shelter and food, and they have no money. I had to get some sacks of garri to distribute among the refugees. I and my family are trying to raise funds to provide additional support for the refuges here in Idah."
He complains that government has not given publicity to the great losses suffered by the people of Ibaji, who are the largest producers of food in the state. In this vein, he anticipates a famine next year, because of the agricultural losses. He compares the losses at Lokoja with that at Ibaji. His words: "the crisis in Lokoja does not involve serious economic losses. In Ibaji we lost farm products. We also used to provide food for neighbouring states. All the farm products lost cannot be compared to the floods that washed away roads in Lokoja." Arome Honourius a businessman and youth leader at Ibaji, also accompanied Mr. Ebiloma to the camp to distribute sacks of garri to the refugees there. He says that some refugees from Ibaji also fled to Edo State.
Meanwhile, a huge crowd made up of women gathered with their bowls and containers to receive the donation of garri. At Idah, Adejo Ojone Nelly and her sister Ajanigo Adeogun, owners of Graceland Schools, have made special effort to assist the refugees. Last Wednesday, the school began giving lessons to the children at the camp who are between the ages of four and ten. About 102 children at the camp were enrolled same day. There are many volunteers among students and staff of the school who have been assigned to teach during lunch break, except on Saturdays.
Graceland Schools also distributed foodstuff, insecticides, bathing and washing soap, as well as foodstuff to the refugees. Their effort which is made with a special focus on women and children, was joyfully received by the refugees.
Daniel Degel, a fisherman from Ibaji, told Weekly Trust that when the flood came, his canoe simply vanished. His words: "all of a sudden I saw my canoe floating away with speed. I then swam to safety,"
Alhassan Onuche complains that food distributed at the camp does not go round. "The food brought does not go round. I am an old man, and cannot fight and struggle for food," he said. Close to Ibaji this reporter came across Salihu Obaje who has lost everything he possessed, and is looking for money to travel up to Idah.
According to him, "my house collapsed. I lost my foodstuff and everything else I had. I have nothing left, and how to reach Idah is now a problem. I just need 1,200 Naira to transport my family and remaining property to Idah, but I don't have this money." Alami Ogah and her mother Mrs. Ogah, carried their mattresses on their heads for three days through swollen streams. According to Alami, "we carried our mattresses on our heads passing through flooded streams and rivers. We did this for three days." Mrs. Ogah said "we have three houses and the last house collapsed this morning (last Monday). The journey from Ajegu to Ogenegu took three days. Sometimes, we slept along the way." Another farmer adds that a food crisis is imminent. "It is impossible that food supply will be okay next year. We have never experienced anything like this," the farmer said.
As we drew closer to Ibaji, countless people came onto the main road. They all carried sticks which they had used to wade through streams. Some of them had been walking for six kilometres from very remote communities. They each had a few belongings on their heads.
NEMA opens up
Ishaya Chonoko, Zonal Coordinator, Abuja Operations Office, NEMA told Weekly Trust that in the light of the flood, the agency had to mobilize boats from NIWA to assist in search and rescue operations, some of which took place in the Ibaji area.
"The worst case of flooding occurs in the Ibaji area, and not here in Lokoja. In the whole of Ibaji local government area, there is no place for a person to stand. It's just water everywhere. NIWA initially released two boats to us. When we got to Ibaji, we saw that the whole community had been submerged by water. We realised that the equipment was inadequate, and so, we mobilised private boat owners who rendered valuable assistance in evacuating people. Five more boats were released yesterday(Monday)," Chonoko said.
He says that there are four camps in Idah, and three in Lokoja to accommodate refugees, adding that the number of refugees in the camps increases every day.
According to him, the role of NEMA in the state is two-fold. It is to coordinate, search and rescue, and it is to manage the camps as well. He says that NEMA has a relief and rehabilitation department which can assist the affected communities. His words: "After the disaster, the relief and rehabilitation unit will play a role in rehabilitating the affected communities. The rehabilitation unit will make an assessment of the situation and advice the agency on the type of assistance that would be rendered. This could be in building materials, cement, zinc, nails, wood etc.
The release of water from both the Jebba dam, as well as the Lagdo dam in Cameroon, can explain the recent devastating flood at Lokoja, the confluence town.
