Tension is mounting in the Shonga community of Edu Local Government Area, Kwara State, after an unusual flood submerged 3,000 hectares of rice farmland, affecting over 5,000 farmers and claiming one life.
The flooding, which occurred last Saturday, has left residents and agricultural experts baffled, as there had been no recorded rainfall in the region.
The Emir of Shonga, Dr. Haliru Yahya, has raised serious concerns over the mysterious nature of the disaster and is calling for a thorough investigation.
During a visit by a state government delegation last Sunday, the Emir expressed shock, stating that such a flood at this time of the year was unprecedented.
He questioned its source, noting that there had been no rainfall from Kwara to as far as Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, and Mali.
“The Sahel is dry. How can there be a flood here? The source of this flood must be local,” the Emir said.
His suspicion turned toward Jebba Dam, as officials from Kainji Dam denied releasing water.
“Jebba Dam could not deny it. In fact, they said they would soon close it,” he added.
The Kwara Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, a government agency that assessed the damage, confirmed the devastating impact on the community.
A report released by ACReSAL on Thursday revealed that one person had died due to shock from the flood, while thousands of farmers faced financial ruin.
Many of them had taken loans to cultivate their rice farms, only to watch their investments wash away overnight.
The Nakodi of Shonga, Alhaji Sulaiman Baiwa Yahya, who represented the Emir during the assessment, commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his swift response.
However, he stressed the need for urgent government intervention to prevent future occurrences and mitigate the looming threat of food insecurity.
“The ACReSAL team was informed that the flood had claimed a life due to shock. Additionally, over 3,000 hectares of rice plantations, involving 5,000 farmers, were submerged, and several households were displaced,” the report stated.
With agriculture being a major economic activity in Shonga, the flood has raised fears of severe food shortages and financial hardship in the coming months.
Farmers are calling on the government to investigate the cause of the flooding and provide relief to those affected.
Meanwhile, experts are also pushing for improved water management strategies to prevent similar disasters in the future, especially with concerns about the role of the Jebba Dam in the incident.
