Floods devastate farmlands in Niger, displace communities

By Paul Dada

A heavy rainfall on Sunday has caused floods in several communities in Niger State, affecting farmlands and leaving many at risk of being swept away.

The affected areas include Kafin Koro and Paikoro local government areas, as well as 18 communities in Lapai Local Government Area.

Some of the affected communities include Dere, Eshi, Apataku, Tsakanabi, Kuchi Kakanda, Arah, Achiba, Rebba, Ebwa, Pele, Edda, Rigido, Gbami, Yawa, Baka, and Muye. The floods submerged farmlands, posing a significant threat to the livelihoods of the people in these areas.

In a reaction, the state government on Sunday, reiterated its warning to riverine communities in the state to immediately relocate to higher grounds, saying the rains have intensified across the state.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Communication, Media and Strategy, Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement, “We as a government will continue to be proactive by appealing to the people, especially those in the flood-prone areas, to immediately move upland to avoid the experience of the Mokwa disaster.

“The government is aware of their attachments to their ancestral homes and lands, but with the various flood alerts, and what we are already experiencing, there is an urgent need for them to heed to the government’s warning.

“The Mokwa experience is still very much with us, and we can not afford a repeat of such an experience.

“That is why the government is urging the people to move to a higher ground,” Vatsa said.

He said that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency had previously identified 15 out of the 25 local government areas in the state as highly vulnerable to flooding every rainy season.