by EMEKA OKONKWO
ABUJA – JUST few days ago, Mokwa was a hub for trade and commerce in north-central Nigeria, serving as a market town and a major meeting point for traders and a transit point for farmers.
Today, the area has been reduced into rubble and turned into a graveyard amid a tragic reminder of the impact of climate change on Africa.
The now-ruined town in the Niger state is the epicentre of devastating floods that have left possibly 700 people dead in Nigeria. Of these, 200 have been confirmed and with rescue missions halted as authorities despair that the 500 missing have not survived, Nigeria is fearing for the worst.
Instead, with rescue efforts called off, authorities are reportedly exhuming lifeless bodies to prevent the outbreak of diseases.
The Niger State Medical Team is making frantic efforts to address the possible outbreak of water-borne illnesses such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhea.
To put the devastation into context, two days of excessive rains (May 29 and 30) exceeded amounts received in entire seasons. It has taken those two days to trigger a flooding disaster that is the worst in Niger State region in 60 years.
Most families were completely washed away because the floods struck at dawn when residents were still sleeping. Those that were yet to sleep sought refuge on rooftops but were also later washed away as their building collapsed or got submerged.
Residents were washed away inside vehicles.
In addition to the death toll, some bridges and other infrastructure have collapsed, hindering humanitarian response.
Located over 370 kilometres east of the capital Abuja, the city is now enduring a humanitarian crisis in a region that for years has been among the epicentres of some of the problems afflicting the West African country.
“We have lost women and children. Nothing as major as this has befallen our area in my entire life,” lamented a community leader, Idris Mahmoud.
In April, a flood in Mokwa killed 13 people after the release of water from the Jebba Hydroelectric Power Station dam but this latest tragedy is of monumental proportions.
At least 5 000 people have been left homeless and more than 10 000 hectares of croplands have been destroyed, a setback that has also been felt in nearby regions reliant on Mokwa for supplies.
Those left homeless include over 1 600 children under the age of 12 and about 380 lactating mothers, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is among other aid agencies on the ground responding to this colossal crisis.
“These are the early days of the rainy season, and already, the destruction is extraordinary,” Bhupinder Tomar, the aid agency’s Head of Delegation for West Africa, bemoaned.
The Red Cross is among the first responders.
An account has been opened at First Bank Nigeria to enable members of the public to donate for relief efforts.
The family of President Bola Tinubu has led with a donation of N50 million (US$31 577), while some companies have donated foodstuffs.
Abdullberqy Ebbo, media aide to Niger governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, provided an update on the donations.
However while grateful communities are receiving assistance, Mahmoud noted that shelter is the most urgent need, alongside other non-food items.
“For days, people have been sleeping in the open under the harsh weather. Some are merely loitering, with nothing to do as their livelihoods have been destroyed. I fear this will have a huge impact on communities’ mental health,” Mahmoud said.
Priority humanitarian needs include emergency shelter, clean water and sanitation hygiene as well psychosocial support for children and other vulnerable people.
The tragedy in Mokwa has again brought to the fore Nigerian states’ disaster preparedness (Nigeria has 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)).
In 1981, Nigeria set up the ecological fund as part of the federal government revenue allocation aimed at addressing various environmental challenges nationwide, including drought, oil spills and flooding.
The National Bureau of Statistics indicates the states received N39,62 billion as ecological fund allocations from June 2023 to June 2024.
“Like several other state governments, the Niger State government receives Ecological Funds from the Federal Government,” said Omoyele Sowore, human rights activist and ex-presidential candidate.
“Still, it typically squanders these funds without investing in disaster prevention, leading to life-changing calamities,” he alleged.
A lack of proper drainage systems, rife in Nigeria, has exacerbated the disaster’s impact in Mokwa.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is meanwhile conducting Flood Preparedness Campaigns in the states of Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Plateau.
In 2024, flooding in Nigeria killed more than 1 200 people, injured at least 2 712 others and displaced 1,2 million people.
Besides flooding, northern Nigeria is synonymous with kidnap gangs, insurgent groups and clashes between livestock herders and farmers over dwindling resources.
