The Federal Government has ruled out the failure or release of water from the Kainji and Jebba dams as the cause of the deadly flooding that ravaged Mokwa in Niger State last week.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Utsev, said both dams remain structurally sound and fully operational.
“We want to categorically state that the flood was not caused by water releases from either the Kainji or Jebba dams. Both dams are safe,” Utsev said. “This incident was the result of heavy rainfall exacerbated by the effect of climate change and poor urban planning, particularly the obstruction of an ephemeral tributary of River Dingi.”
Utsev extended the government’s condolences to the people and government of Niger State, while commending the swift intervention by local authorities and emergency services.
Despite official reassurances, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and local community leaders have called for urgent federal intervention, including the establishment of relief camps and delivery of emergency supplies.
In a condolence statement signed by NEF spokesperson Prof Abubakar Jiddere, the Forum urged the Federal Government to “take swift and comprehensive measures to support flood victims, including the deployment of relief materials, provision of medical and psychosocial support, as well as restoration of essential services.”
NEF expressed concern over the increasing frequency of floods in the region, linking the disaster to climate change, weak environmental regulation, and inadequate disaster preparedness.
“The recurring floods are a tragic reminder of how vulnerable our communities have become due to poor urban planning and climate inaction,” the Forum said.
On the ground, however, displaced residents are still waiting for organised help. A community leader in one of the affected areas, Sarkin Hausawa of Mokwa, Tanko Bala, said no proper relief camp has been set up for the victims.
“They relocated one primary school where nobody is. Only two people are there. Only those almajiri sleep there, and you are telling me there is a camp. I did not see any camp. There is no camp. That is what I am telling you,” Bala told News Central.
He added that many victims are sheltering with neighbours and cooking food in open spaces.
“See my people making their food and doing everything. When they finish, they will enter their neighbours’ houses,” he said. “More than 266 houses have gone. More than 100 persons have died. Those were the ones we saw. The remaining ones we did not see—more than 100.”
The devastating flood has reignited calls for long-term flood risk mapping, investment in drainage infrastructure, and community-based disaster response planning, especially in flood-prone regions like Niger State.
