The federal government has issued a flood warning, urging states and the public to enhance efforts to prevent flooding, as 18 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), are expected to experience river flooding this month.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Terlumun Utsev, delivered this warning at a news conference in Abuja. He emphasized that there has been no release of water from the dams and attributed most of the current floods to flash floods caused by high rainfall and poor drainage systems.
“River flooding is expected to begin this month (July 2024). The states likely to be impacted, as predicted, are Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Adamawa, Benue, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Jigawa, Kogi, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, Nasarawa, Ondo, Ogun, Rivers, Taraba, and the FCT,” Professor Utsev stated.
He noted that the flow situation within the catchment is currently normal, with rising water levels at Nigeria’s monitoring stations in Niamey still within acceptable levels. “The flow situation at Jiderebode in Kebbi State, upstream of Kainji and Jebba reservoirs, is still normal, as is the flow at Lokoja, Kogi State (the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue),” he added.
Professor Utsev also mentioned that the Lagdo Dam operators have informed Nigeria that they are currently filling the dam for hydropower generation. “The flow situation at Wuroboki in Adamawa State, where we receive flow from upstream Cameroon, is relatively normal at this time, so there is no cause for alarm regarding water releases on the Benue River basin. However, we will continue monitoring developments.”
He appealed to states affected by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency’s (NIHSA) 2024 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) prediction to take it seriously, as flooding has been following the predicted pattern.
The Director General of NIHSA, Clement Nze, stressed that the agency advises state governments and Nigerians on flood preparations and mitigation but has no power to enforce actions. He added that the Federal Government is planning to construct the Dasin Hausa Dam in Adamawa State to capture excess water from Cameroon.