Borno State, known as the Home of Peace in Nigeria’s northern border with Chad Republic, Niger Republic and Cameroon, was on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, thrown into tragedy as the spillway of Alau Dam in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, collapsed after heavy rainfall, flooding the entire city, displacing over one million people and submerging thousands of houses.
Borno, the epicentre of Boko Haram’s book-ban battles and decades-long bloodshed is currently experiencing a serious emergency due to the floods, forcing numerous residents living in poorly designed layouts and suburbs to flee their homes.
The Federal Government had attributed the flooding to the effects of climate change and prolonged heavy rainfall. It said that the Alau Dam did not collapse, noting that a flood risk warning had been issued earlier in the year and identified 31 states, including Borno, as high-risk areas.
However, experts and Governor of the state, Babagana Zulum, lamented that Maiduguri is seeing its worst flood in 30 years as Authorities say over one million people are affected, thousands of homes destroyed and 30 people reportedly killed.
Medical Director, State Specialist Hospital, Borno State, Dr Babashehu Mohammed, narrated the challenges being encountered in attending to the victims that are hospitalized, noting that the sewage system has burst open and could infect patients.
This is as the Minister of Health, Ali Pate and the Chief Medical Director, CMD, of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Professor Ahmed Ahijo, raised the alarm over the possibility of disease outbreaks due to the flood.
Reacting, Federal lawmaker, Senator Ali Ndume said the federal government needs to declare an emergency on food, feeding and rescue as the flooding issue is a national disaster.
President Bola Tinubu, during his visit to the state to assess the extent of the damage caused by the flood, assured that his administration will provide maximum assistance to Borno and other states affected by flood disasters, to cushion their immediate sufferings.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev has warned that there would be serious flooding in the Niger Delta region and other southern states, stressing the need for heightened vigilance and proactive measures, particularly in southern Nigeria, to mitigate the effects of potential flooding.
With the tragedy that has befallen the “Home of Peace” amid the insecurity and severe hardship that has crippled the economy, how can the country navigate the flooding situation which is reported to be approaching other geopolitical zones?