Tragic tales of Nigerian states, local governments, towns, and communities submerged in floodwaters have dominated headlines and front pages for the past few weeks. On October 16, 2022, data from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development indicated that 603 people had died. According to additional ministry statistics, there were 1,302,589 displaced individuals, 2,407 injured people, and 603 dead people. There were also 121,318 partially damaged and 82,053 entirely damaged residences, 108,392 partially damaged farmlands, and 332,327 totally damaged farmlands.

The fact that it was avoidable, according to experts, makes all of this news even more depressing.
There is nothing unusual about floods.
For the earth, floods are not unusual. Floods have been a thing since the time of David. I can immediately think of Noah’s flood. However, similar to the biblical flood that destroyed thousands of farmlands and forced millions of people to flee, this flood had warning signs.
A caution ignored

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) warned that floods may occur in up to 13 states in Nigeria in mid-September of this year.

According to Mustapha Ahmed, the Director-General of NEMA, the following states would experience flooding. These are the following: Edo, Delta, Anambra, Rivers, Bayelsa, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Taraba, Benue, Niger, and Nasarawa.

Speaking on September 19, he warned Nigerians that between then and the end of October, the Kainji, Shiroro, and Jebba dams in their country will likely flood.

He continued by saying that when the Republic of Cameroon’s Lagdo dam releases its extra water, things would get worse.

According to his explanation, “the Lagdo dam operators in the Republic of Cameroon have initiated the release of excess water from the reservoir by September 13, 2022,” as per our discussion with the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).”

“We are aware that the released water flows through the River Benue and its tributaries, cascading down to Nigeria and submerging communities that have already experienced significant rainfall.”

“The situation downstream is further complicated by the released water because, according to NIHSA, overflow is predicted in Nigeria’s inland reservoirs, including Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro, between now and October 31.

“The Kainji and Jebba dams have already begun to release excess water from their reservoirs, according to NIHSA.

“This will have major repercussions for communities and frontline states along the Niger and Benue river courses.”

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) issued a warning in August 2022 of impending floods in certain areas of the states of Kaduna, Borno, Delta, and Bayelsa between that time and October 2022.

It’s also possible that government authorities disregarded NEMA’s warning, just as they did in the narrative of Noah’s flood. The devastation that those affected by the floods in Nigeria had to endure serves as proof of this.

“More emergency action ought to have been done”

Professor Emmanuel Ofoezie, an environmental management expert and the director of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, stated that “rain monitors warned that there would be too much rain this year.”

“Cameroon must release water from its dams when the water level exceeds acceptable limits. Referring to the water release from Lagdo Dam, which is suspected of being the source of the present flood, he added, “That is the best practice everywhere in the world.”

This indicates that Nigeria’s present flood was not caused by its neighbor to the east with malicious intent.

The lecturer pointed out that the flooding would have been worse if the dam had broken because water was not released.

“We had this unfortunate year where it seems like the sea level is high,” he continued. The sea will stop accepting new water when the level is high. The only choice when the river and sea levels are high is to overflow onto the land.

“The only thing anyone can do for the flood zones is wait for the floodwaters to subside. Luckily, the rainy season is drawing to an end.

According to Ofoezie, the government should have taken decisive emergency action after receiving notice from its own authorities.

Nigeria ought to have taken emergency action because earlier this year, NIMET and NIHSA provided warnings.

While NIMET is in charge of the atmosphere, NIHSA is in charge of hydrology, which includes rivers and subsurface water supplies. Both of them issued advisories and named the states that will be impacted.

“This deluge caught everyone off guard. The government was meant to have made arrangements for the impacted parties. Give them advance notice to evacuate, and plan their destination months before the flood occurs! That’s a shame what went down. It was expected of the federal government and the provinces to have made plans for these victims long before the water reached their homes. It’s not as if they were unaware!

“They are currently resettling individuals in schools. Where will kids go to school?

A breakdown in communication

The Lagdo dam in Cameroon is the main feature. Given that it caused the most recent flood, it is now well-known.

On the other hand, it has been stated that the Nigerian government was supposed to start a project along the River Benue that was comparable when the Lagdo dam was completed in 1982, as per an agreement.

The planned dam was intended to control the floodwaters discharged upstream from Lagdo Dam in order to avert flooding, property damage, and fatalities.

It was to be situated in Adamawa State’s Dasin Village in the Fufore Local Government Area.

The flood is the result of the Federal Government’s failure to build this dam.

Additional preventative actions

Nigeria has been planning to construct check dams along the Benue River since around 2005. We have proposed numerous measures to the Federal Government of Nigeria, including the construction of safety dams and the possibility of refluxing the arid regions.

“The approaching water can be directed in a certain direction. You can direct water to arid regions impacted by climate change by using subterranean channels.

You won’t have any dry land in the North before you realize it!

That is how they transform Israel, which was a dry land, into what appears to be tropical Africa! Although we know what to do, we refuse to do it.

Expert in toxicology and environmental management Dr. Taiwo Hammed proposed that a network of canals may be built from river systems, which would typically result in flooding.

The lecturer at the University of Ibadan’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences added that in order to help control flooding, artificial dams and canals should be built along flood areas. This will also help store floodwater and provide water for farming irrigation, particularly during the dry season.

A future caution in light of global warming

“This happened in 2012. It took place in 2022. Professor Ofoezie continues, “Let’s see if they will be ready in 2032, or will we still be taken off guard.

It appears that this flooding occurs every ten years.

Climate change is a serious issue. Now even people who are unaware of it hear about it. The weather you experience this year may not be the same as it is next year due to climate change.

“Next year, we might have a near-drought and other such conditions! This year, there was enough advance notice that the government might have made arrangements for the impacted population.