The Kwara State Government has demanded an investigation after water from the Jebba Dam submerged rice plantations in Edu Local Government Area.
Edu is a major rice producing area in Kwara State with thousands of farmers from across North-west Nigeria farming the crop in the area.
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Most of the farms are situated along the banks of the River Niger, on which the Jebba Dam was built.
Locals said thousands of hectares have been submerged by water released recently from the dam.
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Muhammad Abdulkadir, a community leader in Tada, said crops valued at millions of naira have been destroyed by the flooding.
“Our farmers here came from different states in the north. We have farmers from Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, and Niger State, and they have lost millions of naira worth of rice farms to this flooding,” he said.
“When there was no flooding, we realise over three million metric tonnes of rice here annually,” the community leader said.
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On Sunday, a delegation of top government officials sent by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq visited the area as part of the governor’s directive to establish the causes of the “unusual flooding”.
Led by the Deputy Chief of Staff at Government House, Bukola Babalola, the delegation also delivered relief materials for the farmers in the affected community of Tada.
The delegation also visited the Emir of Shonga, Haliru Ndanusa, and the affected farmers.
Welcoming the delegation, the emir urged the state government to carry out thorough investigation to get the cause of the “unusual” flooding at this time.
“From here up to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, and Mali, there was no rain. The Sahel is dry. How can there be a flood here? The source of this flood must be local,” he said.
“We have asked from Kainji Dam, and they said it wasn’t from them. But Jebba Dam could not deny it. In fact, they said they would soon close it. We spent several years attracting people to this place. We hope this will not happen again next year to avert food insecurity.
“It is very important that we get to the roots of the matter. If it is true that Jebba Dam released water, what was the reason, and who authorised it?”
Mr Ndanusa said the incident could affect food security in the state, but he thanked Governor AbdulRazaq for responding to it promptly.
“His Excellency has spoken to me, and he took it very seriously. I didn’t expect this delegation again, given his interventions already. We are very grateful to him for his concern and for sending this powerful delegation,” the emir said.
Ms Babalola assured the farmers that the government would assist them to cushion the effect of the flooding on their farms.
“We are here to see the damage done to the farms, especially the rice farms in Tada community. We have seen what happened and we are taking the message back to His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to see what can be done to remedy the situation — immediate and future remedies — and avert loss of lives and farmlands,” she told reporters during the visit.
“Also, a lot of farmers are crying here that they need a lot of support. We have heard their complaints, and help is on the way.”
Mr Abdulkadir, the Tada community leader, urged the government to seek a lasting solution to flooding in the area.
“We thank the government for coming to our aid immediately. This should not end here. We want the government to find the permanent solution to perennial flooding in this axis. The permanent solution is to dredge the River Niger,” he said.
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