News

[OPINION] The Cry Of The Waters: When Flood Became A Funeral

Published

2 days ago

June 4, 2025

By Israel Adebiyi

In the days when the forest still spoke and rivers still held secrets, there was a tale the elders told of a stubborn village. This village, they said, was warned by the river goddess that heavy rains were coming. “Move to higher ground,” she whispered through the winds. But the people, confident in their mud huts and ancestral trees, scoffed. The rains came, and so did the water. Not as a blessing, but as a grave. By morning, the village was no more—only silence and soaked soil remained.

This is no longer folklore. This is Mokwa.

At the last count, over 200 lifeless bodies have been pulled from the fury of floodwaters in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State. Children, women, men—entire households swallowed by what should have been a predictable, preventable disaster. Homes have turned to ruins, schools into swamps, and churches into makeshift morgues. Thousands are now displaced, staring into an uncertain future, and the numbers—like the waters—keep rising.

Year after year, we watch this horror movie unfold, always with fresh cast members and a bloodier script. Yet, nothing seems to change.

The tragedy of Mokwa is not just about water. It is a portrait of systemic rot—of repeated failure across every level of governance. It is the failure of residents who, either out of ignorance or fatalistic resignation, ignore flood alerts. It is the failure of state governments who do not even bother to draw evacuation maps, build retention basins, or construct climate-resilient housing. It is the unforgivable failure of the federal government, which seems to think emergency response begins after the bodies begin to rot.

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To make matters worse, we are watching a theatre of performative concern unfold. Politicians, freshly powdered for the cameras, are arriving with bags of rice, cheques, and empty empathy. They make loud donations, pose with grieving mothers, and deliver soundbites for prime-time television. But what they do not deliver is a comprehensive flood mitigation plan. What they never unveil is a blueprint to stop this nightmare from happening again. The donations are transactional; the tragedy, cyclical.

This is not new. We have seen this same charade after the 2012 floods that displaced over two million Nigerians across 30 states. Again in 2018, major parts of Benue, Anambra, and Delta were submerged. In 2022, over 600 lives were lost and 1.4 million people displaced in what was declared one of Nigeria’s worst natural disasters in decades. Each time, committees are formed, relief is shared, and a deafening silence follows. Until the next flood comes. We are trapped in a loop of disaster and denial.

What is the point of NIMET’s weather forecasts if nobody acts on them? What use is NEMA if it only arrives after villages have become watery graves? Why do state governments scramble to distribute relief materials instead of investing in pre-flood interventions? Why do we wait to wail when we could act to prevent?

Experts have long warned of Nigeria’s vulnerability to climate-induced disasters, yet there is no national flood risk atlas, no coordinated relocation policy, and certainly no political will to dredge rivers or enforce building codes near water bodies. In places like Mokwa, urban planning is a myth, and informal settlements mushroom in high-risk areas without scrutiny.

The contributory causes of flooding in Nigeria are glaring—blocked drainages, unregulated deforestation, poor waste disposal, construction across waterways, failure to release water from dams gradually, and the backflow from neighboring countries like Cameroon during heavy rains. But perhaps the greatest culprit is the pervasive absence of political foresight and empathy.

We can no longer pretend that floods are “natural disasters.” They are man-made catastrophes aided by neglect and ignorance. There is nothing natural about people living in areas that should have long been declared unsafe. There is nothing natural about public officials failing to prioritize environmental sustainability in their budgets. There is certainly nothing natural about losing 200 lives in one sweep of water and acting as though it were a minor event.

Mokwa is a metaphor for all of us. It is the consequence of our national amnesia—our strange habit of mourning loudly and forgetting quickly. In a few weeks, the media frenzy will die down, the politicians will return to their SUVs, and displaced residents will return to ruins, left alone with trauma and mud. Until the next rainfall.

We are long past the time of crocodile tears. What we need is a flood of action. We need governments—local, state, and federal—to begin treating flood prevention as a national security issue. We need real-time data, engineering solutions, ecological restoration, and urban planning. But most of all, we need political leaders who feel the pain of their people.

Because when flood becomes funeral, the nation itself begins to drown.

News

World Environment Day: FERA Wants Collective Acton Against Plastic Pollution

Published

4 hours ago

June 5, 2025

Editor

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

Foundation for Earth Rights Assembly (FERA), has called for collective action aimed at tackling plastic pollution across Nigeria and the world at large.

Executive Director, FERA, Mr. Nosa Tokunbor made the call in Benin on Thursday during a press briefing held by his organisation to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day with the theme: End Plastic Pollution.

Tokunbor, who described plastic waste crisis as “truly an issue of global concern,” noted that it requires “immediate action from policy makers, regulators, industry and civil society.
Plastic pollution permeates every corner of the planet-even in our bodies in the form of microplastics.”

“Plastic pollution is one of the great environmental challenges of the 21st century, causing wide-ranging damage to ecosystems and human health,” he added.

According to him, this is why this year’s campaign “encourages individuals, organizations, industries, and governments to adopt sustainable practices that drive systemic change.”

He noted: “By now we are painfully aware that plastic waste poses a threat to our environment, including both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Pollution touches all parts of the Earth.
As consumption and production intensify, pollution is becoming more extensive, pervasive and persistent.

“It damages ecosystems, and affects human health through the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.

“Humanity produces 2.1 billion tonnes of waste every year, while air pollution is responsible for 8 million premature deaths each year, according to a new United Nations Environment(UNEP) Report.”

He, therefore, called for “ambitious policies including a combination of investments in innovation and interventions aimed at increasing demand for circular solutions while restraining plastic consumption overall.”

News

Edo Deploys 1,472 Army-trained Security Corps To Tackle Insecurity

Published

8 hours ago

June 5, 2025

Editor

No fewer 1,472 members of the newly reorganised Edo State Security Corps have completed their two weeks training and deployed across the state to tackle the rising insecurity.

Speaking at the passing out parade held at the Edo State National Orientation Camp (NYSC) in Okada, Ovia North East Local Government Area, Governor Monday Okpebholo urged them to embrace professionalism and collaborate with security agencies to fight criminality in the state.

Represented by his deputy, Hon. Dannis Idahosa, Okpebholo said the activities of the former Corps were politicized and lacked professionalism, hence the decision to reorganize and restructure the Corps.

“Regrettably, activities of the former Corps were politicized, and it lacked professionalism. Hence, I decided to reorganize and restructure the Corps to meet set objectives,” he said.

He thanked the Nigerian Army for training the Corps, demonstrating the government’s seriousness in combating criminality and making the state safe for all.

According to the governor, security is one of the key elements of his administration’s five-point agenda.

He noted that the State Government established the Edo State Security Corps, backed by the Edo State Security Corps Governance Law 2024, to assist the police in intelligence gathering and low-level operations to combat crime.

The governor expressed his administration’s concern over security challenges in the state, noting that existing security agencies were over-stretched. He said the Edo State Security Corps was established to provide support to the police and other sister security agencies.

The governor said his administration has established a management board to oversee the affairs of the Corps to promote discipline and welfare.

“We expect a high level of discipline and performance during and after the rigorous training,” he said.

The governor also noted that the activities of the Corps would be highly monitored, and profiling is ongoing to identify those who are fit to serve in the Corps.

“Your activities are highly monitored, and profiling is ongoing to know those who are good to serve in the corps,” he said.

The Chairman of the reorganizing committee of Edo State Security Corps, Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe (rtd), represented by Major Gen. Victor Ebhaleme (rtd) said the organization and training of the Corps is to ensure they are more effective and efficient in the performance of their duties.

“The training commenced on the 22nd of May 2025, and personnel recruited were drawn from 13 local government areas which cut across the three Senatorial Districts of Edo State,” he said.

Gen. Esekhaigbe added that the Corps is not trained to operate alone but to support other sister security agencies, ensuring peace in the state.

“With this training, the Corps is ready to support other security agencies to combat crimes and other security challenges,” he said.

News

[OPINION] President Tinubu And The Niger Delta: A Match Made In Heaven

Published

10 hours ago

June 5, 2025

Editor

By Dennis Otuaro

The Niger Delta has never had it so good, enjoying a period of peace, stability and development. Although some challenges remain, the last two years under the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have indeed been momentous for the region. Consequently, age-old grievances are melting away, hope is renewed, and the cry of marginalisation, which the area had been known for, is gradually fading as a result of this administration’s deliberate policies and interventions.

The first pointer that the President meant business for the Niger Delta was at his inauguration on that fateful day in May, 2023. He had pledged that, ’whether from the winding creeks of the Niger Delta, the vastness of the northern savannah, the boardrooms of Lagos, the bustling capital of Abuja, or the busy markets of Onitsha, you are all my people. As your president, I shall serve with prejudice toward none but compassion and amity towards all.’’

Two years on, the President has indeed kept that promise, with development strides and appointment of Niger Deltans into key government portfolios and roles. For me, as I listened to him on that inauguration morning, little did I know that I would be one of his foot soldiers to take the message of renewed hope and development ‘’to the winding creeks of the Niger Delta.’’

I was appointed in March 2024 as the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), amidst keen competition for the role. I was selected, I believe, due to my academic and professional records and my history as a person who has been involved in the Niger Delta’s struggle for justice, equity, greater say in resource management, and a better life for our people.

Since my appointment, I have contributed my modest quota to ensuring that the President’s vision of development, peace and security in the Niger Delta is achieved. I have steered the Programme towards ensuring these goals through significant investment in human development, with the knowledge that the best way to develop a society is to empower its people by educating them.

When I was appointed, only a few hundred students were on the Programme’s scholarship. I have since expanded that to over 3000 students, selected across the length and breadth of the region, in a process that is open, fair and transparent. That way, the son of a fisherman and the daughter of a farmer stand a chance of a quality education, fully funded by the federal government, making the President’s promise of a renewed hope not just a campaign slogan, but something the Niger Delta can feel and touch.

We have also revitalised the overseas scholarship scheme, which had been suspended before my appointment. Now, over 60 Niger Delta indigenes are pursuing studies in the UK, US, Canada and other countries sponsored by the government. We also ensured that these courses, whether for undergraduate or postgraduate students, are development-focused, which can help the speedy growth and transformation of the Niger Delta.

Vocational training programmes have also been ramped up, with the training of 40 aircraft engineers, 98 maritime cadets at the Joemarine Institute in Delta State, and others, thereby enhancing the Niger Delta’s human capital in critical sectors. On the Programme’s core mandate of ensuring the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-agitators, we have ensured the prompt payment of stipends and implemented comprehensive data management reforms to eliminate duplicates and update the records to reflect training completion. We also seek job placements, training and career opportunities for ex-agitators, their families, and those in impacted communities.

Perhaps because of these record achievements, the budget for the Programme was increased in the current financial cycle. In addition, I think it was reviewed upward because of the President’s love of the Niger Delta and commitment to right the historic injustices against the region and the people. This demonstrates that his pledge to be fair and just was not just political talk but one that he is truly committed to.

That is probably the reason why the Niger Delta is the only region with two intervention development agencies. The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was established by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000 to address the socio-economic and environmental challenges of the Niger Delta region from the impact of oil and gas exploration and foster sustainable development.

The NDDC has played that role since its formation with some measure of success. However, recently, when regional blocs started clamouring for similar agencies to tackle their peculiar developmental challenges and the President acquiesced to their requests, setting up the northwest, north-central and other agencies, the popular thinking was that there was no need to establish one for the Niger Delta region because of the existence of the NDDC. But the president, perhaps aware of the outsize role the Niger Delta has played as the main source of foreign exchange revenue for the country in the last 60 years, didn’t follow this line of reasoning. He established the South-South Development Commission with its headquarters in Akwa Ibom State and approved a significant budget for its take-off.

The President deserves commendation for his bold efforts to tackle head-on the developmental challenges of the Niger Delta and bring the region to the central focus of his development agenda. If you asked me, I would dare say the President is positively biased in favour of the Niger Delta, quick to approve projects and key appointments for the region and its people.

A few examples will suffice. While the former President had dilly-dallied with endorsing the Maritime University Okerenkoko Bill, President Tinubu signed it immediately the bill reached his desk, thereby providing the necessary legal framework for the university to thrive and become a hub for maritime education and research in the coastal belt of the country.

He also signed the bill establishing the Federal University of Environment and Technology (FUET) in Ogoni land, Rivers State, designed to provide more opportunities and development in the area. The clean-up of Ogoni land through the environmental remediation efforts overseen by the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has also intensified under President Tinubu.

As with Ogoni, so it is with the rest of the Niger Delta. Our rivers are cleaner, our air is fresher, and our people can fish and farm again, as the government has tackled oil bunkering and theft, which have polluted both the rivers and land in the region. Security agencies, in collaboration with private consultants such as Tantita Security Services, under the supervision of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, have reduced oil theft, bunkering, and destruction of oil and gas infrastructure. The impact has been immediate and growing such that Nigeria has doubled its daily oil production to around 1.6 million, meaning there are more funds for the Niger Delta states to carry out development projects through the 13 percent derivation allocation.

And there is more. Niger Delta indigenes now lead key government agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama; Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe; Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola; and Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), Dr. George Kelly, amongst others.

As we roll out the drums to celebrate the President’s second anniversary, it is good to let the world know that the President’s Niger Delta scorecard is sterling, demonstrating his love and commitment to the region and people. We thank him with the assurance that someday soon, we will pay back in FULL.

Otuaro, Phd, is the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).