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Flooding: Nearly 150 communities under water in Niger: Governor

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State

*Governor Abubakar Sani Bello blames development on opening of the spillway gates of the Kainji Dam

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

In view of the prevailing raining season in the country now, about 150 communities in Niger State of Nigeria are now under water as a result of flood, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has disclosed.

Governor Bello stated that 20 of the 25 Local Government Areas (LAGs) are affected by the flood occasioned by heavy rains this year, report said.

However, the governor also blamed the development on the opening of the spillway gates of the Kainji Dam, which he said was spilling over 6,000 metric litres of water every second in addition to similar development by two other dams Shiroro and Jebba, the first of such action in the history of the state.

The N80 billion investment by Sunti Sugar Company in the state has been washed away by flood, leading to several hundreds of farmers and staff of the company jobless, said he.

According to Bello, the magnitude of the disaster is now beyond the capability of the government and therefore called for intervention from the federal government and international agencies.

He stated that the disclosure was the outcome of four different committees he sent round the state to assess the extent of the flood, pointing out that some people are reported to have died as a result of the incidents.

He said: “We have been crying out but no one appears to be listening to us.”

The governor, however, suggested the establishment of a Special Intervention Fund to support the state in addition to asking the federal government to make the Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission a reality.

The state has already started consulting the governors of Kwara, Kebbi, and Kogi States on how to ensure the immediate takeoff of the commission, Bello said.

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