In order to offer his condolences to the government and people of Borno State for the recent flood calamity, President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Maiduguri, the capital of the state.
The President, who landed in Abuja from London on Sunday night, would assess the damage caused by the flood to public buildings such as schools, hospitals, marketplaces, and private homes in the North West state.
The president’s plane landed at Maiduguri International Airport, where Governor Babagana Zulum and other government representatives met it, according to a video our correspondent saw on X.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Refugee Council and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council residents, the town experienced its worst flooding in 30 years when the Alau Dam, a vital piece of infrastructure intended to control water flow and supply drinking and irrigation water, overflowed its seams after intense rainfall. The National Emergency Management Agency reported that nearly half of Maiduguri was under water.
Following the weekend break-up of the Alau dam on the Ngadda River, which is located 20 kilometres south of Maiduguri, over 23,000 houses have been affected by the sudden surge in water levels, according to NEMA.
Additionally, reports suggest that as of Wednesday, the water had subsided after flooding destroyed major parts of Maiduguri, including the state secretariat, post office, cemetery, and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. According to NEMA, the flooding had submerged 70% of Maiduguri.
In addition, 80 per cent of the zoo’s animals at Sanda Kyarimi Park were lost to flooding, which also caused damage to homes, businesses, and places of worship.
Prior to this, President Tinubu had conveyed his grave worries on the floods and directed pertinent government agencies to accelerate rescue operations. Additionally, he demanded that everyone living in communities that have been inundated leave right away.