The Nigerian government has said no fewer than 4,88 houses in Ogun have been submerged by flood.
The Federal Government, through the Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, has said that the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon was not responsible for the flooding that has devastated parts of Nigeria.
Adamu made this known during the 2023 budget defense of the ministry before the Senate in Abuja on Wednesday.
The minister attributed the flood to water flowing from tributaries of the River Benue like the River Katsina-Ala and others into the River Benue due to downpours.
Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) raised the issue of floods in the country during the ministry’s budget defense and what efforts the ministry was making about it set the stage for the disagreement.
Aliero said, “There has been an insinuation that every year the Cameroonians inform us when they are releasing the water. Is that not true?”
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Responding, Adamu said, “Yes, the dam releases water; sometimes it releases water without notice, and when they do that, it has an impact on communities downstream. It is not the main reason you have floods in this country. The tributaries of the river Benue are the main cause. And this year, the rains have been unprecedented.
“The transboundary waters that even come into this country from the rivers Niger and Benue constitute only 20 per cent of the freshwater that flows into the country.”
Meanwhile, the Director–General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed, on Wednesday, said that no fewer than 4,885 households were affected by the recent flooding in Ogun.
This was disclosed in Abeokuta during the presentation of relief materials by the agency to the state government for distribution to flood victims.
Represented by the Director, Special Duties, NEMA, Dr Bandele Onimode, Ahmed said the assessment conducted recently by the agency revealed the statistics.
“The result of the assessment indicated that 4,885 households were affected by the flood,” he said.
