Niger Dams to Release Excess Water, NSEMA Warns of Imminent Flooding
Communities in riverine areas of Niger State have been placed on high alert following notifications from the operators of Shiroro, Jebba, Kainji, and Zungeru hydro-electric dams about the imminent release of excess water.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), in a statement issued in Minna by its Director-General, Abdullahi Baba Arah, urged residents living near Rivers Niger and Kaduna to immediately relocate upstream to avoid potential disaster.
According to the agency, the planned discharge of thousands of gallons of water per minute could trigger severe flooding, with catastrophic consequences for affected communities. The warning follows an advisory from the Nigerian Hydrological Services, which also urged people along riverbanks to limit activities during the peak of the rainy season.
Some of the local government areas at risk include Lavun, Magama, Rafi, Kontagora, Gbako, Mokwa, Lapai, Katcha, Agaie, Suleja, Shiroro, Mashegu, Agwara, Bida, Edati, Munya, Bosso, Chanchaga, Paikoro, and Wushishi. NSEMA confirmed that lives have already been lost in the recent wave of flooding, though the agency did not disclose the casualty figures.
In a related development, the Mokwa Flood Relief Support Group has rolled out assistance for victims of flooding in Mokwa Local Government Area. The group presented cheques to school proprietors to sponsor 88 children who had dropped out of school, while 41 widows and children will benefit from skill acquisition training in tailoring, catering, and soap making.
At the flag-off ceremony held at Beyge Primary School, Mokwa, Chairman of the support group, retired Assistant Controller General of Customs Ahmed Nasir, said the intervention was designed to ease the hardship of survivors who lost their livelihoods to the floods.
Traditional leaders, including the Ndalele of Mokwa, Muhammadu Shaba Aliyu, and the Head of the Hausa Community, Bala Tanko, praised the initiative and pledged continued cooperation with authorities. Speaking on behalf of the school proprietors, Suleiman Jibrin, Principal of Hakimi Aliyu Secondary School, promised that the support would be put to good use to positively impact the affected pupils.
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