From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
No fewer than 16 out of 21 local government areas of Kebbi State in North-West Nigeria have so far been affected by the devastating effects of the 2024 rainy season.
Many residents have lost their houses while farmers have lost hectares of rice and millet farms and others to ravaging floods.
Among the affected local government areas are Bagudo, Augie, Argungu, Gwandu, Birnin Kebbi, Maiyama, Jega, Koko-Basse, Yauri, Ngaski, Shanga, Kalgo, Bunza, Suru, Arewa and Aliero, among others.
Many bridges linking Kebbi State and the North-West zone of the country have been cut off by flood due to the advancement of River Niger, River Giro, and River Ka which overflowed their banks from Zamfara and Sokoto, passing through villages in Kebbi and heading to River Benue.
Neighbouring countries like Niger Republic and Benin Republic have released water from dams which increased the water level of all the rivers around Sokoto and Zamfara states which share borders with Kebbi State.
Affected communities like Tungar-Buzuru, a village under Dugu Ward of Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State have also gone through ordeals. No fewer than 27,000 residents have been displaced from their ancestral homes, farms while livestock have been lost, forcing them to seek refuge at a public school in Dugu, a town in Shanga Local Government Area of Yauri Emirate.
For 50 years old Muhammed Sani, losing his residence and rice farm to flood was like a dream. While narrating his journey to the IDP camp in Dugu town, Sani revealed that his family was left with nothing as they left their homes with inadequate food materials.
“I have two wives and five children. We had to leave our village, Tungar-Buzuru because of the flood. Our houses and farms have been taken over. But we thank God that we have our lives. For the past two weeks that we have been in this camp, the Kebbi State government has been taking care of us and we are grateful for that,” he told Saturday Sun.
Mallam Salisu Tundun-Fala, a 35-year-old farmer with three children and a wife, explained that he has lost his rice, maize and millet farms worth about N10 million to the flood.
He explained that he has been in the IDP camp for four weeks, stressing that the state government has been taking good care of him and other displaced persons.
“We were given food, medication and the traditional ruler of this town is very caring and friendly to us. The people of this place are friendly too.”
Although their children have been enrolled in a school by the leaders of the community, yet, his wife, Kerimat, explained that they found themselves in an unusual environment. She told Saturday Sun that they are hoping to go back home one day so that they could continue to live their normal lives with their children.
Kebbi State governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, was at the IDP camp on October 1, on the 64th Independence Day celebration in Nigeria with hundreds of bags of rice, maize and other relief items to soothe the pain of the displaced persons.
While distributing the food items to the beneficiaries at Dugu village in Shanga LGA, the governor said the essence of the gesture was to support the flood victims and cushion the effects of the disaster. He advised the affected victims to consider the flood as a destiny that nobody can stop.
“I want you to take it as an act of God, it is a destiny from God and In Sha Allah, my administration will do everything humanly possible to support you.”
Also speaking, the Emir of Yauri Dr. Zayyanu-Abdullahi thanked the governor for supporting his people afflicted by the flood.
“You are always there for my people whenever the need arises. Your administration makes my people always feel at home because you give them a sense of belonging. My prayer to you is that, may the Almighty Allah be with you, guide and protect you,” the Emir prayed.
The Chairman, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Hon. Yakubu Bello commended the governor for his commitment towards promoting unity and support to the less privileged.
“It’s now that we have a governor who has the interest of the masses at heart, we are committed to your administration’s policies and programmes,” he assured.
While shedding light on the impacts of flooding in the state, Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed Birnin Kebbi, confirmed that 16 out of the 21 LGs were the worst hit, leaving 329,000 houses destroyed and 858,000 hectares of farmland washed away by the disaster.
He added: “None of the 21 LGs was spared by this devastating flood and almost all households in the state were either directly or indirectly affected. This was in spite of all the proactive measures taken by the state government to stem the tide of the flood disaster. The state government promptly acted upon the flood alerts earlier received from NIMET, NEMA and the Nigerian Hydrological Agency.”
The commissioner added that seven persons died in Ngaski LGA, eight in Maiyama, five in Kalgo, seven in Jega and two in Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area.
The commissioner emphasised that the committee established by the state government, led by the Deputy Governor, Sen. Umar Abubakar Tafida, is working tirelessly to alleviate the impact of the flooding on the victims.
During the inspection of a collapsed bridge along Koko-Kontagora which usually served as a link to the South-West of Nigeria, the governor appealed to the Federal Ministry of Works to urgently repair the bridge linking Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states with the southern part of the country.
Idris, observed that the collapse of the bridge would affect a lot of traders and farmers in the country.
He said: “I am calling on the Federal Minister of Works to urgently assist and rescue the affected business people as the road is the only one that links Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Niger with Southern Nigeria.
The governor also observed that the repair of the collapsed bridge was critical in view of the fact that many businesses in the two regions would definitely suffer.
He noted with dismay that motorists plying the route had no option than to take a longer route through Dakingari in Suru Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The governor also called for routine maintenance of all federal roads and bridges to avoid a repeat of similar mistakes.