From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the Nigerian/Cameroon agreement on the Lagdo Dam.
Consequently, it mandated its Nigeria/Cameroon Friendship Group to undertake the probe and report back to the parliament within two weeks for further legislative actions. The friendship group measures by the government to mitigate the impact of the impending release of water from the Lagdo Dam by the Cameroonian authority.
The House also mandated the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Federal Ministry of Works to expedite the completion of the Dasin Hausa Dam in Adamawa State. The Dasin Hausa Dam is intended to serve as a buffer and absorb excess water from the Lagdo Dam.
The House urged the National Emergency Management Agency and State Emergency Management Agencies to improve the early system. It also charged the relevant agencies on improved evacuation and relief efforts for communities in flood-prone areas.
Similarly, it directed the Federal Ministry of Environment, “to undertake a comprehensive study of the impact of climate change and the Lagdo Dam’s annual release on Nigeria’s riverine communities, and to develop an actionable flood management plan to protect lives and properties.”
This followed the adoption of a motion, on matters of urgent public importance, by the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, at yesterday’s plenary..
Chinda, in the motion, informed the House that every year, Cameroon releases excess water from the Lagdo Dam, during the rainy season, to prevent overflow. The lawmaker explained that the released water ‘inevitably’ flows into Nigeria, resulting in significant flooding in states along the river, including Borno, Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Kogi, and beyond.
According to him, it is disturbing that the attendant flooding results in “recurrent loss of lives, displacement of communities, destruction of farmlands, livestock, and homes, and damage to critical infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, schools, and healthcare facilities, “
The lawmaker, noted that, however, despite the early warning by government about the release of water from Lagdo Dam, “many communities remain unprepared and are left vulnerable to the devastating impacts of the floods.
“The construction of a buffer dam, the proposed Dasin Hausa Dam in Adamawa State, was agreed upon in principle between Nigeria and Cameroon to help contain the excess water from the Lagdo Dam, this project has remained stalled for years due to funding and bureaucratic delays.”
Chinda argued that there is an urgent need for the Federal Government to develop long-term solutions to mitigate the impact of the annual flooding, occasioned by the release of water from Lagdo Dam, as well as protect vulnerable communities along the River Benue and Niger basins.
“Unless swift actions are taken to engage relevant stakeholders, both within and outside Nigeria, to mitigate these annual disasters and to provide lasting solutions for affected communities, the situation will persist annually with each year worse than the former, thus diminishing the confidence of the people in the leaders,” he said.