By Hajara Abdullahi
Nigeria with its vast arable land, economic endowment, and growing population is still battling with food insecurity which has resulted in malnutrition, death, rural-urban migration, and an increase in social vices, Food insecurity continues to pose a threat to the Nigerian populace with the current inflation ravaging the country worsening the issue.
Flooding is a natural disaster but human activities also contribute to this disaster which is resulting in climate change that is destroying agricultural communities and causing a humanitarian crisis. According to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), 2022 witnessed the highest recorded rainfall in over 30 years, resulting in widespread flooding across 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states.
Flooding is triggered by downpours, dumping of refuse in drainage, building houses along waterways, rising volume of rivers, and felling of trees which help absorb water.
In 2022, flooding destroyed farmlands and communities worth millions of naira in Southern and Northern states. In the North Central zone, Kogi State which is a flood-prone area considering the River Niger and Benue confluence, several communities which include Bassa, Ajaokuta, Ibaji,Ofu, Isah, Koton Karfe Local Government Areas, have been affected by flooding. Similarly in Kano one of the tributes of the Tiga dam overflowed the river bank which led to flooding that destroyed many farmlands and houses in Rano, Bebeji Dawakin Kudu, Wudil Local Government Areas.
In the South-South zone,6 LGAS out of the 8 LGAS in the states were affected by flooding. While in Delta State, places like Patani, Ewulu, Oko, lllah communities in Patani, Aniocha South, Oshimili South, and Oshimili North LGAS all suffered from flooding with some communities still battling with the aftermath. Rivers and Anambra states were also affected by flooding with properties and lives lost.
This year, Jigawa in the North West is the most hard-hit state, with hundreds of farmlands and houses destroyed by flooding, these are farms cultivated by locales to get staple food for consumption as the hardship in the country has prevented many farmers from large-scale farming considering the economic quagmire bedeviling the nation, following the subsidy removal and unification of exchange rate. Also, Zaria in Kaduna state and Gumi in Zamfara state have been hit by the recent flooding with large hectares of farmland being washed away by flooding, thereby worsening the woes of a region already battling insecurity, lack of infrastructure, and poverty militating against developments.
In the North East, some parts of Bauchi state have been affected with communities in Shira, Giade, and Katagum Local Government Areas submerged by flooding, major roads linking Bauchi to Yobe and Borno states have also being destroyed. Yobe is not left out with flash floods triggered by downpours affecting Tarmuwa,Jajere and Yunusari Local Government Areas as well as destroying Jumbam bridge located in Tarmuwa LGA which connects 9 LGAS, to the state capital, Damaturu. Farmers in Yobe have continued to count their losses since the occurrence of the disaster with some trying to save some of the crops from perishing to minimize loss.
Some states in the North East and North Central zones are well known for farming activities. For example, Kogi, Benue, Adamawa, Niger, and Taraba contribute towards providing food not only for the residents but the nation at large, is facing a worst drought that has led to little or no rainfall and this has affected farming activities which have resulted in a hike in the price of food items amidst the economic crisis and insecurity facing the country.
Flooding leads to an escalating humanitarian crisis with victims being abandoned after getting minimal assistance from the government or organizations. It also exacerbates food insecurity because most communities affected are farming communities that cultivate crops that provide food for millions of people. We are already facing a surge in food insecurity due to inflation and insecurity. Therefore, destruction caused by flooding will escalate the problem, if necessary measures are not taken.
NEMA has warned that more states will be affected as we approach the peak of the rainy season. The relevant stakeholders need to work together to avert the occurrence of the flood in other vulnerable communities, particularly those close the River Niger and Benue, Also government should provide incentives to the affected farmers in the form of improved seeds that can germinate in 40-50 days before the rainy season elapses, farming inputs like tractors, fertilizers should also be provided to the farmers as this will go a long way in assisting them to harvest some crops at the end of the rainy season.
Another important step the government needs to take is investing in irrigation agriculture in riverine areas through providing incentives and creating an enabling environment for farming to thrive.
According to the U.N food agency, Nigeria has the highest number of hungry people in the world with 32 million people _10% of the global burden facing acute hunger in the country. With the current flooding ravaging communities particularly in the Northern states which serve as a hub for agricultural activities, the fear of hunger and rising food insecurity lingers. Food insecurity prevents economic growth and development because it renders individuals vulnerable to social vices, During the recent End Bad Governance protest, we witnessed how able-bodied youths vandalized and carted away with foodstuffs belonging to business owners and government, this corroborate the saying “A hungry man is an angry man” as well as steer a clear warning to the relevant stakeholders to take the bull by the horn through providing policies and measures that will address food insecurity in the country because no nation will move forward while more than half of its population are hungry.
Lastly, communities need to be sensitized on the necessary measures to curb flood as well as the need for government at all levels to provide effective housing policies that will prevent locales from building houses in flood-prone areas or drainage, also tree planting schemes need to be promoted to address climate change which is another factor causing flooding.