The Senate has urged President Bola Tinubu to initiate the immediate dredging of the Niger and Benue rivers as a flood prevention measure. Along with calling on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to quickly assist affected communities with relief materials, the Senate also requested that the President include funding for the rivers’ dredging in the 2025 budget.
Additionally, the Senate called on the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to rehabilitate the Shuwa, Jigalambu, and Baladega bridges and directed the legislative compliance committee to ensure that NEMA and FERMA fulfill these resolutions.
Earlier this year, the Senate had similarly advocated for the inclusion of the Niger and Benue rivers’ dredging in the 2024 Appropriation Bill to mitigate the ongoing flooding crisis across the country.
The Senate’s recent resolutions were based on a motion sponsored by Senator Amos K. Yohanna (PDP, Adamawa North). In presenting the motion, Senator Yohanna highlighted the severe flooding in five local government areas in Adamawa North—Madagali, Maiha, Michika, Mubi North, and Mubi South—which caused widespread destruction of homes and farmlands.
He said: “The Senate note that there was massive flooding that caused catastrophic destruction in the five local governments of Adamawa North senatorial district.
“Further note that hundreds of houses and farmlands were destroyed. The floods also washed away multiple culverts and bridges in Shuwa (Madagali LGA), Jigalambu, Watu, Kudzum (Michika LGA) and the Baladega Bridge, along Mubi-Maiha road. More tragically is the fact that some lives were lost;
“Aware that the flooding situation has overwhelmed local capacities, and left thousands of people in dire need of urgent humanitarian assistance in Kirchinga, Shuwa and Gulak (Madagali LGA), Dzuragu (Michika LGA) Mayo Bani (Mubi North LGA) Konkol (Maiha LGA), including shelter, food, medical care and clean water.
“Disturbed that this worsens the already difficult economic and security situation affecting the people and will relapse in internally displaced persons, IDPs, tragedy as thousands of displaced people are currently taking refuge in schools.”
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