•Governor Umaru Bago and some flooded areas
Wednesday night’s rain in Mokwa, Niger State was not much different from others before it, except for its duration: about four hours.
The residents, many of them farmers, were happy for the gift of nature, reports NAN.
Their farms and crops would be better for it, they thought.
And they wished the day to break soon for them to go and do some work on their farms.
Anas Usman was one of them.
But what hit them afterwards caught them completely unawares — water, water and more water.
The rivers and other waterways came rushing into their houses, pulling down buildings and carrying away everything on their path.
Seventeen members of Usman’s household were among those swept away by the floods.
By yesterday, the death toll had reached 111, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“We were preparing to go to the farm in the morning when our house was suddenly submerged by floods. We did not know where the flood came from,” Usman told our correspondent.
“The flood submerged our house, causing the structure to collapse. We lost children, women and men, who are family members,” he said.
Farmlands, roads and bridges were also washed away, the most important being the Mokwa Bridge linking the North and the Southwest.
Thousands of motorists and passengers are already stranded at both ends of the bridge.
Niger State Deputy Governor Yakubu Garba visited Mokwa yesterday for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
He also visited some of the victims.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) commiserated with the victims and said it “stands in solidarity with the government and people of Niger State on the devastating flood.”
Affected by the flooding areas were Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa in Mokwa town, Mokwa Local Government Area of the state.
Deputy Governor Garba said his visit was at the instance of his principal, Governor Umaru Bago.
He said that over 100 bodies had been recovered, adding that search and rescue operation was still ongoing.
“I have been briefed by officials from NEMA and NSEMA, who have been on ground since the incident occurred for search and rescue operations.
“I was told that over 100 people lost their lives and some are yet to be buried as search and rescue operations are still ongoing,” he said.
Garba, while addressing the victims at the Internally Displaced Camp (IDPs), urged them to exercise patience as the state government was working out modalities to provide relief materials to those affected.
He said that the state government had received relief materials from NEMA, which had been handed over to the council chairman for onward distribution to the victims.
He assured the victims that he would communicate his findings to the governor to secure additional support for those affected.
He, however, cautioned against building structures on waterways and emphasised the need for residents to respect natural water pathways to prevent future disasters.
Also speaking, Mrs Zubaida Umar, Director-General of NEMA, said that officials of the agency were on ground coordinating ongoing search and rescue operation.
Umar said that the agency provided food and non-food items, including rice, blankets, and mats which had been handed over to the state government through the deputy governor to support victims.
She also said that NEMA was working with the Red Cross and Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) to support the affected community.
Head of Operations, NEMA Niger state , Husseini Isah said that over 5,000 people were displaced and properties worth millions of naira destroyed
Mohammed Tanko, a civil servant, said “we lost at least 15 from this house (pointing to the relics of the house he grew up in). The property (is) gone. We lost everything”.
A fisherman Danjuma Shaba said: “I don’t have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed.”
Motorists stranded aftermath of Mokwa bridge collapse
Motorists are currently stranded as part of the bridge at Mokwa linking the North and Southwestern part of the country collapsed on account of the flooding.
One of the motorists, Awual Mohammed, told our correspondent that many motorists have been stranded since Thursday on both sides of the bridge, which made it impossible for motorists to continue with their journey.
“If the bridge is not fixed immediately, it will disrupt trade activities between the North and Southwest regions,” he said.
He called on the authorities to urgently repair the bridge and provide alternative solutions to mitigate the impact of future floods.
Governors to work with ONSA, NEMA – AbdulRazaq
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) commiserated with the victims of the flooding.
Chairman of the forum who is also the Kwara State Governor Abdulraman AbdulRazaq said that NGF “stands in solidarity with the government and people of Niger State on the devastating flood that has wreaked huge havoc in Mokwa town of the state.”
Governor AbdulRazaq attributed the incident to the stark realities of climate change and its adverse effects on human existence.
In a statement he personally signed, the NGF chair said the forum was “shocked by the magnitude of the flooding, which has resulted in the loss of lives and properties in the community.
“We sincerely commiserate with the affected families and express our support to the state government at this difficult time.
“We also commend the interventions of the Niger State Government and its coordination with the emergency responders to support the victims of this disaster.
“This flood again reminds us of the stark realities of climate change and the accompanying effects on how we live. We commit ourselves as leaders of our people to continue to work with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to not only help our people to cope with this global challenge, but to strengthen mitigative actions and relief institutions.
“We pray God to console families who have lost loved ones and properties in the Mokwa incident, and we urge citizens to support government’s efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and to cooperate with agencies working to assist those in urgent need at this time.”
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned of possible flash floods in 15 of the 36 states, including Niger State, between Wednesday and Friday.
More than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of Nigeria’s 36 states last year, making it one of the country’s worst floods in decades, according to the National Emergency Management Agency.
Of note was the September 10 collapse of the Alau Dam in Borno State.
The collapsed dam left Maiduguri and Jere local government areas flooded.
According to the NEMA over 70% of the residents in Maiduguri were displaced and at least 150 people died.
