Why Yobe communities are against Kafin Zaki Dam

When the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) committee set up by the federal government visited Gaidam in Damaturu, it was clear that Yobe State was not only uncomfortable with the planned construction of the Kafin Zaki Dam but is equally lamenting the dwindling economic fortunes of over 15 million people surviving on the tributaries of River […]

When the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) committee set up by the federal government visited Gaidam in Damaturu, it was clear that Yobe State was not only uncomfortable with the planned construction of the Kafin Zaki Dam but is equally lamenting the dwindling economic fortunes of over 15 million people surviving on the tributaries of River Yobe which was grossly altered by the construction of Tiga and Challawa Dams in Kano State.

 Dr. Nasir Mohammed of Sahel Consult had earlier told the governor that his firm was detailed by the federal ministry of agriculture to go round communities living along the plains of Hadejia-Jama’are, as well as the Kumadugu-Yobe River in order to hear their views on the desirability or otherwise of the planned Kafin Zaki Dam. But Gaidam noted that the Kafin Zaki Dam is not necessary and highlighted several reasons on the need to jettison the idea.    

He recalled with nostalgia that over 30 years ago, the Kumadugu-Yobe Basin was endowed with abundant natural resources, like agricultural land, fisheries resources, grazing areas for livestock and surface water. “Due to the abundance of these aforementioned resources, the inhabitants were living together happily.  Farmers, herdsmen and fishermen from many parts of Nigeria and beyond used to visit the area in order to partake in the exploitation of this natural endowment,” the governor said.

An old problem

But when Tiga and Challawa Gorge Dams were constructed in 1976 and 1992 respectively, 40% of the water that naturally used to flow into the Kumadugu Yobe Basin was arrested.  The attendant consequences were catastrophic.  There was drastic reduction in farming and agro-allied activities, heavy siltation and weed infestation reared menacingly along the course of the river. This has led to a lot of environmental problems such as the proliferation of typha grass into farmlands, fishing ponds, grazing areas, and even settlements. Other environmental consequences are flooding and desiccation of some river channels, intrusion of potash into farmlands and grazing areas. Experts say by damming rivers upstream, people in Yobe and Borno States who are the downstream users will find it difficult to appreciate the construction of any other dam upstream.

“When we take into consideration the effects of arresting 40% of the source that supply the basin,  what will be the effects of arresting 55% of the main source that supplies the Basin (when Kafin Zaki Dam is constructed)”, the governor had asked the visiting consultants rhetorically.

According to him: “If the dam is constructed, what will happen to the 1910 treaty signed between France and Britain defining the boundary between Nigeria and Niger up to the Lake Chad, which is based on the cause of the river?  If that occurs again, it means the cessation of farming in the basin all together and that farmers in Jigawa, Yobe and Borno States on the one hand and in Niger republic on the other which have more than 100,000 hectares out of 180,000 hectares estimated to be potentially irrigable land within the Yobe Basin would be lying fallow and waste thereby depriving over 10 million people as against 100,000 people if the Kafin Zaki Dam was constructed.”

Water everywhere but here

Residents decried that insufficient flow of water into the Kumadugu Basin through the Yobe River will result in the loss of N3 – 4 billion annually and will also put the lives of millions of farmers in jeopardy.

The Kumadugu Yobe Basin has a long history of being an important region for livestock production.  Yobe State alone has over 17 gazetted grazing reserves which qualify it as the state in the North with the largest number of grazing reserves as well as highest concentration of livestock.  The annual flood of this plains forms an essential part of the annual grazing cycle of over 3.1 million cattle, 22 million sheep, 1.8 million goats, 500,000 Camels.  This accounts for about 41% of the total livestock in Nigeria.  Transaction from this sector is estimated to contribute about N20 billion annually.

The Yobe Basin is noted as an important centre for fish production involving 20,000 to 30,000 fishermen.  Fishing potentials in terms of area is about 77.138 km2 containing 30,000 to 500,000 metric tons and this output is directly proportional to the extent of flooding.  Annually N100, 000,000.00 is realized from this sector.

The unhindered flow of river Yobe helps in recharging the underground water which in turn feeds the trees and thus saving the forest of the basin.  The desert is encroaching at an annual rate of 0.6 km, casting doubt on the fate of trees in the region.

Grassroots problem, political solution?

Gaidam had earlier set up a committee “On the Survival of River Yobe” which was charged with the responsibility of visiting frontline LGAs as well as Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi, Plateau and the federal capital territory Abuja to seek support of the relevant stakeholders on the need to shelve the idea of the Kafin Zaki Dam. Its chairman Alhaji Modu Aji Juluri who is also the Special Adviser to Governor Gaidam on budget and economic planning had during the visitations explained that any further dam construction in Bauchi State will  “mercilessly  traumatized River Yobe which hitherto supported the economic activities of over fifteen million people”.   

Weekly Trust observed dozens of communities living along the Banks of the “shrinking” River Yobe, which is gradually being encroached by the desert, especially in villages around Bursari and Jakusko local government areas. Same goes for many other areas.

On several occasions during this correspondent’s journey, in the desert for two or more hours, villages along the banks of the River Yobe and most of the inhabitants said they rely on the river for support in their farming and cattle rearing activities. “The simple truth is we don’t know what we’ll do if the river is affected,” a fisherman simply called Umaru told this reporter as his very young daughter clutched the fringes of his tattered kaftan.

Borno State government has also risen against the construction of the Kafin Zaki Dam. Its secretary to the state government Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda had recently expressed pessimism over the clamour insisting that the project was not necessary.

A farmer called Shamsuddeen had this to tell Weekly Trust: “I am aware that politicians are doing something on their level, which is good. But it’ll be even better if they hasten up and save our river.” The farmer, who described himself as ‘poor,’ said he knows of no other trade than that which he is in, agriculture. “If anything happens to the river, it affects us all.”

In high places

At the federal level, Senator Ahmed Lawan representing Yobe North had vigorously condemned the proposed dam project. He recently, he and other 30 senators have raised alarm over continuous draining of River Yobe. In a motion titled “Re-optimisation of Tiga and Challawa Gorge Dams to respite human livelihoods and ecosystem in the Hadejia-Jama’are river Basin”, Senator Lawan hopes to see a situation where by all the tributaries would be dredged so that people living in along the rivers in Yobe and Borno would have enough water for farming and irrigation.  

However, the claim by the EIA committee that it had completed its assignment had provoked the anger of the Yobe State government which noted that it was not aware of when and how the EIA carried out the assessment in the affected communities.

Bauchi State hinges its support for the dam construction on the grounds that large plantation of sugarcane will be established while many communities on the fringes of the dam would enjoy uninterrupted irrigation farming but the opponents of the dam sees that reason as plausible.

From the unfolding scenarios, it appears the construction of the Kafin Zaki Dam requires – and will continue to generate – elaborate consultations and understanding among stakeholders, especially the lives of millions of people – like Umaru – whose lives depends on the Kumadugu-Yobe Rivers, in the balance. “We can only hope,” Shamsuddeen said.