BREAKING: Nigeria failed to build lake around River Benue to stop killer waters from Cameroon  — Nnimo Bassey

In the wake of the destruction of lives and property by this year’s flooding, an environmentalist and Chairman of Friends of the Earth International, Mr. Nnimo Bassey, in this interview, identifies areas national and sub-national governments failed in protecting Nigerians against the fury of the floods. Bassey, who is also the Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, reveals how big infrastructures along coastlines in some major cities export floods to other parts of the country.

There are arguments back and forth as to why this year’s flooding is more devastating than any other one before it. Were there things the Nigerian authorities failed to do?

Although flooding is taken to be a natural phenomenon, what we are experiencing in Nigeria is compounded by human inactions and actions. We have heard many explanations on why the flood has become this devastating this year. Some said it is because of the release of water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroon. I can tell you that it is a major factor in the incidents of flooding we are experiencing this year in Nigeria. It is a major contributor no matter what government is saying. Government has failed to build a major lake around River Benue and other water bodies.

The second explanation is that we have had torrential rainfall  this year and that the tributaries of the Benue have contributed to the disaster. Now, that is also true. But the major reason we are having this kind of flooding is the release of water from the lake in Cameroon. Nigeria ought to have built its receptive dam. It is a failure of the system for government not to have built its lake for over 30 years. That has not been done. Another issue is that when flooding happens in Benue River, it escalates at Lokoja. From that point, it flows to the Niger Delta. That is why states like Bayelsa, Rivers and others shouldn’t be caught unawares.

Are you saying the affected states in the South-South knew the flood would be this devastating and was headed to their areas?

They saw the water coming. The disaster could have been avoided if they had an efficient early warning system. And there are actions that communities could have taken to avoid the disaster that has befallen them. So, the disaster is compounded by all these factors. Right now, most of our towns do not adhere to urban planning rules. They are not planned. There is no urban planning, community planning and even village plans. We used to have proper town planning that factors in accurate drainage plans.

Even in villages where there are no official plans, communities should be able to agree on where people should build their houses and where not to, especially those located in the River Basins where flooding occurs annually. Another problem is that even where there is urban planning, there is no climate-proof planning. Any money invested in climate-proof planning is not wasted. Many of our staff members were caught up in the Bayelsa and Rivers flood. So, my group is conducting participatory research on risk guides for communities’ flood response.

We want to be able to give our communities tools to know what to do when this kind of situation happens again. Amid all these, there is also native wisdom and knowledge that is being derived. We want to make that available to all the communities so that they can apply them when such a thing happens.

Climate-proof

Climate-proofing is a tool designed to support the integration of climate change impacts, as well as awareness of the challenges and opportunities, in development planning from national to local levels. Climate proofing aims to make development measures more efficient and resilient.

Government came out to say that it didn’t fail to build any dam. It even said there was no agreement between Nigeria and Cameroon for Nigeria to construct a receptive dam. It went further to say that only a small percentage of the floodwater is from Cameroon. Does that hold water given the facts available to you?

I think those explanations by the minister are very regrettable. At this time, whatever the excuse may be, the truth is that our people are dying. So, his trying to remove blame from the government for not building any dam is neither here nor there. Cameroon couldn’t have built that dam without Nigeria agreeing to build its own to protect its people. A country cannot construct a dam and whenever they release water, the neighbouring country will be in a problem. A country cannot build a dam to endanger the lives of the citizens of its neighbours. Why is there no plan by Nigeria to protect its people whenever Cameroon releases water? No, the minister needs to bring a better story because his explanation doesn’t stand.

The minister even went further to blame Cameroon for failing to adhere to the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, Nigeria had with it on the release of water from the dam…

From what we read in the papers, that was done. Let our government prove that it wasn’t done.

You complained about the absence of early warning signs. But before the commencement of the rainy season, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET, issued early warning signs to states. In fact, before the situation became this bad, this paper reported that governors weren’t taking the warning seriously…

The state governors and federal government have to be held accountable for not protecting our people. They have to accept responsibility for failing to protect n Nigerians from the ravaging flood. When we had the last flooding in 2012, there were a lot of donations and a lot of noise was made about readiness to ensure there is no recurrence. Obviously, we don’t have sufficient early warning mechanisms. And they also need to provide options for people and not just warn people about impending flood. People want to know where to go when the flood comes. Do governors just want them to disappear? Many things need to be done. The level of damage this time is a national embarrassment. In fact, it is a continental embarrassment because it exposes us as people who are not serious.

There is Ecological Fund that is meant to be used in funding issues relating to flood. The management of this fund by governors is mired in controversy. How well can it be utilized for the right purpose?

I believe this particular flooding should be the final wake-up call. It should be seen as a reason we have to channel resources to where they are needed. There has to be a flood management plan. If there is any existing one, it should be updated. And investments should be made in both hard and soft infrastructure to support the environment. For many years, we have been losing land on our coastline to flooding. Communities are losing their lands to the ocean.

Certain infrastructures like the big refinery in Lekki and Eko Atlantic are exporting flooding to communities beyond their locations. We need to have a serious environmental impact assessment of any development along our coastline. A lot of infrastructures are being built along our coastline. There are communities along the coastline that are almost disappearing, and people have been crying. There has to be a master plan to tackle flooding along the coastline. Our mangrove forest should be restored so that the shorelines can be protected. There should be an emergency meeting right now to review what to do with our environmental responses.

To what extent has climate change contributed to the latest disaster in the country?

I think that is the central issue. The increase in global temperature leads to the kind of rainfall and flooding we now experience. But this is not really surprising because we knew we were going to have heavy rainfall. More are coming. Next year, we are going to have more rainfall. Unfortunately, the world is not ready to take real climate action. The world is talking about attaining net zero. Nigeria is talking about attaining net zero in 2050 as if climate change is something that is waiting somewhere. The whole burden of climate change is being pushed on the poor victims who never contributed to climate change. You can imagine the communities bearing the burden of climate change when they never contributed to burning fossil fuels.

Do you think if government constructs dam(s) as Cameroon did for flood waters, the nation won’t witness this magnitude of flood anymore?

Dams do not prevent flooding. The disaster can occur anywhere.

With the flooding of 2012 and the one we are experiencing, it is obvious that we need dams along the rivers in Adamawa and Benue. The dams should be trapping the flood before it gets to River Niger in Lokoja. The dams can be used for irrigation and other purposes. It is not a question of building dams across the country. There are other ways of mitigating flooding. It is important to review the kind of roads being constructed, taking into cognizance drainage systems and shoreline protection using natural methods.

What should coastal states like Bayelsa do given that it is always the worst hit anytime such a disaster occurs?

Unfortunately, Bayelsa is the point where Niger empties into the ocean. Almost the whole state is at sea level. What I think should be done in a place like Bayelsa and other coastal communities in the Niger Delta is to go back to the way buildings were constructed in those areas in the past. For example, government can support the communities to redesign their structures and build on pillars. They can raise the floor level to the point they can be protected in the event of flooding.

Right now, most communities in Bayelsa are underwater. Only the upper floor of storey buildings is safe. That is an indication that you don’t need to keep the ground floor of buildings at ground level. It can’t work. So, the infrastructure in such a state has to be redesigned for climate impact. And the people should be given support to do that. This is where the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and Ecological Fund should come in.

While it is not in doubt that there is no quick fix to flooding, what interim measures should government deploy in badly affected communities?

I expect to see the military comprising the Army and Navy deployed to help these people. There should be relief materials for victims. People, especially farmers who have lost farmlands should be compensated. Some had just finished planting when the flood came. Some had to harvest prematurely. Every other person affected should be compensated. Temporary shelters should be  provided. People need food, drugs and medical supplies.