Mokwa flood was preventable
The Mokwa flood didn’t come out of nowhere. It was not an act of God. It was a predictable and preventable disaster. For the past six years, federal authorities have consistently identified Niger State as one of the country’s most flood-prone areas. Just this past June, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigerian Hydrological […]
The Mokwa flood didn’t come out of nowhere. It was not an act of God. It was a predictable and preventable disaster. For the past six years, federal authorities have consistently identified Niger State as one of the country’s most flood-prone areas. Just this past June, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) again issued early warnings: Niger State, because of its proximity to River Niger floodplains, is at high risk of flooding.
And yet, here we are — mourning another preventable loss.
To be fair, both NiMet and NIHSA can only advise and issue warnings. They have no enforcement powers. But where are the agencies that do? What exactly is the role of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its state counterparts (SEMA) if not to act proactively on early warnings from forecasting bodies? If data from NiMet projects imminent flooding, and that flood eventually occurs, who is held responsible?
We must stop creating excuses for people who fail to do their jobs. Whether it’s a governor, a minister, or even the president — accountability must be demanded. We have normalised institutional failure to the point where disasters are seen as fate, when in fact, they are often the result of inaction.
Let’s talk about the root causes.
Flash floods in Nigeria are not just the result of heavy rainfall or river overflows. Some of the most “affordable” causes — as I like to call them — stem from behaviours we can correct without major infrastructure projects. Chief among them is the indiscriminate dumping of waste: plastic bags, bottles, sachet water nylons, and food wrappers clogging our drainage systems. These actions, often done out of sight and habit, eventually claim lives.
Then there’s the matter of building on natural waterways and floodplains — something both the public and government officials are guilty of. From homes to shops to full-blown estates, structures continue to rise in areas where water should be flowing freely. It gets worse when estate developers and individuals are allowed to build without Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). In many parts of Nigeria — outside of Abuja, Lagos, and a few major cities — such regulatory measures are completely ignored.
Let us also not forget the broader environmental neglect: poor waste management systems, lack of proper drainage maintenance, deforestation, and unregulated urban expansion. The signs are all around us, yet we continue to act surprised when nature takes its course.
So, what must we do?
First, we need a cultural and institutional shift in our attitude towards the environment. Campaigns against environmental degradation must move from social media hashtags to school curricula, town hall meetings, religious sermons, and legislative agendas. Citizens must be educated — and then held accountable. But more importantly, our leaders must be held to a higher standard.
We need clear enforcement of environmental laws — starting with a crackdown on buildings obstructing water channels, enforcement of EIA for all developments, and regular maintenance of drainages. States must allocate special budgets for green infrastructure and urban flood control. Emergency response teams must stop reacting only after the damage is done; early warning systems must translate into early action.
We also need stronger synergy between federal and state agencies. If NiMet warns of floods, there must be a coordinated mandate for NEMA, SEMA, and local authorities to prepare and respond — with shelters, evacuation protocols, and public education.
Maybe when these necessary changes are truly in place, we will start to see a decline in climate-related tragedies like the one in Mokwa. We owe it to the lives already lost — and the millions still at risk — to start taking environmental governance seriously.
Musa Baba Alhaji, MSc Student, Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Bayero University, Kano