The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), on Thursday, said water from the Lagdo Dam in neighbouring francophone country, Cameroon, has been released into River Niger and River Benue in Nigeria’s North Central.
The Agency warned Nigerians resident in floodplains to relocate immediately to safe spaces in anticipation of attendant floods that annually come with the release of water from the Lagdo Dam.
NIHSA Director General, Umar Mohammed, issued this warning when he featured on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief breakfast programme on Thursday.
Mohammed said his Agency met with the authorities in Cameroon and agreed that water from the Lagdo Dam be released “intermittently” for the River Benue and River Niger in Nigeria to be able to contain the volume of water to avoid flooding in 11 states at risk.
“The situation is that water from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam is being released already since yesterday (Wednesday) and there is an agreement that the water should be released in phases,” said Mohammed, who was represented on the programme by the Agency’s Director of Operations and Hydrology, Femi Bejide.
NIHSA had listed flood-prone states to include Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Edo, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, and Rivers.
The NIHSA boss said for now, there is calm and nomalcy and the water is being regularised from the Lagdo dam, though the currents are rising.
He said all Nigerians have a role to play to prevent flooding as previous release of water from the Lagdo Dam has caused constant flooding in Nigeria.
Channels TV
