NIGERIA – About 5000 hectares of rice plantation estimated at US$7.7M were destroyed by the recent flooding in three local government areas of Kwara State, caused by the release of water from the Jebba and Kainji dams in Niger State.
Ahmed Adamu-Saba, who represents the Edu/Moro/Patigi Federal Constituency in the House, stated this after a visit to some affected communities in Shonga.
The communities that were affected by these floods include Fonga and Jebba in Moro LGA; Lade, Patigi and Kpada Districts in Patigi LGA; and Shonga, Bacita and Lafiagi in Edu LGA.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq called for a probe of the disaster in January when he sent a delegation of top state officials to inspect the damage.
Mr Adamu-Saba said the disaster was caused by the opening of the dams in Jebba and Kanji, two of Nigeria’s hydroelectric power sources. During the tour of the farmlands, he lamented the degree of the destruction and described the disaster as a threat to food security.
As a raft of measures, Mr Adamu-Saba distributed 150 bags of NPK fertiliser, 50 knapsack sprayers, 50 bags of rice seeds, 170 litres of pesticide and chemicals and 10 pieces of solar water pumping machines to the victims to mitigate their losses.
The disaster comes at a time when the country is grappling with food insecurities.
Recently, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its December 2024 report, highlighted that rising food prices in Nigeria have exacerbated food insecurity, severely impacting the country’s most vulnerable populations.
The report, released in partnership with the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, noted that 71% of households cite food price hikes as their primary economic shock.
This alarming trend affects access to essential staples such as onions, tomatoes, rice, cooking oil, frozen chicken, wheat flour, and yams.
The country, however, has been making strides to boost food security. The country, through the Niger State government, has signed a N5 billion (US$3.2 million) co-financing agreement with the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) to boost maize and rice production in 2025.
According to Mr. Ibrahim, Executive Secretary of NADF, the project aims to produce rice and corn on 4,000 hectares across three administrative zones of the state, directly involving 4,000 smallholder farmers.
In addition, Gideon Yisa, a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly representing Edu Constituency, urged the federal government to act swiftly to support the farmers.
“This is a tragic situation,” Yisa said. “The farmers were not expecting this flood because they had already left their land fallow for the dry season. The dam operators did not warn them about the water release, which has severely impacted the farmers and the local economy. This is a threat to food security.”
The Emir of Shonga, Dr. Haliru Yahya, also expressed surprise at the flooding during a visit by a state government delegation and urged for a thorough investigation to prevent a repeat of the disaster.
The Emir confirmed that officials from the Kainji Dam denied any involvement in the flooding, while Jebba Dam authorities admitted to opening the dam and indicated they would soon close it.
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