Latest news with #Maiduguri
Sky News
2 days ago
- Climate
- Sky News
Nigeria floods: At least 110 dead as heavy flooding submerges thousands of houses
At least 111 people have died and others are still missing after heavy flooding in Nigeria, an emergency official said. Authorities initially said 21 people had died but this figure has today risen significantly. Media reports quoting local government officials said a dam collapse has worsened the situation. Ibrahim Hussaini, head of Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said some 3,000 houses were underwater in two communities. Videos posted on social media show floodwater sweeping through neighbourhoods, with rooftops barely visible above the brown currents. One clip shows a tanker floating through a town. The chairman of the Mokwa local government area suggested poor infrastructure has worsened the impact of the flooding. Jibril Muregi has appealed to the government to start "long overdue" construction of waterways in the area under a climate resilience project. In a similar occurrence last September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in Nigeria's northeastern Maiduguri caused severe flooding, leaving at least 30 people dead and displacing millions. Nigeria is prone to flooding during the rainy season, which began in April - and flooding is becoming more common and extreme as the climate warms. Hotter air is thirstier and can hold more moisture - about 7% more for every 1C warmer - meaning it unleashes heavier flooding when it rains. Violent rain, which killed hundreds of people in Nigeria during 2022, was made at least 80 times more likely and 20% more intense by climate change, analysis by World Weather Attribution found.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Climate
- Sky News
Nigeria floods: At least 117 dead as heavy flooding submerges thousands of houses
At least 117 people have died and others are still missing after heavy flooding in Nigeria, an emergency official said. Authorities initially said 21 people had died but this figure has today risen significantly. Media reports quoting local government officials said a dam collapse has worsened the situation. Ibrahim Hussaini, head of Niger State Emergency Management Agency, said some 3,000 houses were underwater in two communities. Videos posted on social media show floodwater sweeping through neighbourhoods, with rooftops barely visible above the brown currents. One clip shows a tanker floating through a town. The chairman of the Mokwa local government area suggested poor infrastructure has worsened the impact of the flooding. Jibril Muregi has appealed to the government to start "long overdue" construction of waterways in the area under a climate resilience project. In a similar occurrence last September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in Nigeria's northeastern Maiduguri caused severe flooding, leaving at least 30 people dead and displacing millions. Nigeria is prone to flooding during the rainy season, which began in April - and flooding is becoming more common and extreme as the climate warms. Hotter air is thirstier and can hold more moisture - about 7% more for every 1C warmer - meaning it unleashes heavier flooding when it rains. Violent rain, which killed hundreds of people in Nigeria during 2022, was made at least 80 times more likely and 20% more intense by climate change, analysis by World Weather Attribution found.
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Nigeria: How NEDC's projects are rebuilding lives, infrastructure in Northeast?
For decades the Northeast of Nigeria, particularly Borno State, has come under serious threat from the activities of Boko Haram and ISWAP. This challenge led to the collapse of infrastructure, like water supply, electricity supply, as well as the destruction of houses and cities, towns and villages. According to a resident of Maiduguri, Muntari Shariff, 'The Northeast especially Borno State is in hopeless state of infrastructural delay. Thousands of people have been displaced. To be candid, government alone can't do it alone.' Findings by Nigerian Tribune revealed that it was based on such premise that the Federal Government established the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in 2017. Since the establishment of the commission, it has been up and doing in order to bring succour to the people of the Northeast. It was gathered that several interventions by the commission aimed at bringing relief to the six states in the Northeast have been carried out. Even though, some are of the opinion that more interventions need to be done, there are a lot of successes have been recorded. NEDC's interventions so far Nigerian Tribune gathered that the commission has carried out a number of interventions in the Northeast region. Findings by Nigerian Tribune showed that in Konduga and Gwom in Borno State, the NEDC has constructed modern housing estates for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). For many who fled their villages due to the insurgency, these homes are the first step towards rebuilding family life and finding peace again. 'We have been living in camps for years. But now, we have a roof of our own,' said Bukar, a father of five, resettled in Gwom. The commission has also supported the repatriation of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, and is working closely with local authorities to help IDPs return to their ancestral communities. Also, healthcare infrastructure has received a major boost. For instance, at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), a new 40-room labour ward is now operational, easing the burden on maternity services. In addition, the commission has provided life-saving equipment and constructed additional blocks in UMTH, General Hospital, Eye and Dental Hospital, and the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri. Meanwhile, hundreds of solar-powered streetlights have been installed across Maiduguri. Nightlife, once shut down by insecurity, is slowly returning. Markets now stay open for longer, and residents feel safer walking in their communities. The commission has made education a top priority, especially for children affected by the conflict. Schools destroyed during attacks have been rebuilt, thereby reopening the doors of learning for thousands. In Mafa, 14-year-old Amina said, 'They tried to stop us with fear, but now we are going back to school. It gives me hope.' To further improve the quality of education, the NEDC is training 600 Tsangaya and Islamiyya school teachers across the Northeast. A broader programme is also underway to train 100,000 teachers from the six states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Taraba. To tackle rising youth unemployment, the NEDC has rolled out skill acquisition programmes. In partnership with the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), young people have been trained in electricity installation and line work at the National Power Training Institute in Kainji. In Jere and Mafa, vulnerable farmers and women entrepreneurs have received over 1,000 water pumps, 400 cartons of herbicides, and 200 units each of spaghetti-making and grinding machines—giving many families a fresh start in micro-enterprise. Minister calls for collaboration Speaking during a visit to Borno State recently, the Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Maigari Ahmodu, stressed the need for close collaboration with the Northeast Governors Forum to achieve the broader Northeast Stabilisation and Development Plan (NESDP). The minister noted that the Ministry of Regional Development will ensure adequate supervision of NEDC to achieve the goal to rebuild and stabilise the Northeast region after years of insurgency and economic disruption. The minister's delegation during the visit comprised the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on NEDC, Hon. Usman Zannah, and other committee members; the chairman of the NEDC board, Major General Paul C. Tarfa (rtd); the MD/CEO of the commission, Mohammed Goni Alkali, and other senior management officials who were part of the strategic meeting. Zulum's challenge to NEDC While welcoming the entourage, the Borno State governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, called on NEDC to prioritise projects that can provide lasting benefits and boost infrastructural development across the six states in the northeast region. The governor, was speaking at the Government House, when he received the expanded management and board of the NEDC led by Ahmodu. Governor Zulum listed security, dry inland ports, African Intercontinental Free Trade Zone, independent electricity supply, and road networks as some of the key priorities for the northeast. He said, 'I think the time has come for us to prioritise our projects. We have gone into more than 50 per cent of the lifespan of the NEDC. I am not saying that NEDC will collapse. What I mean by lifespan is the funding window allocated to the commission according to the act that established it. So, let's come up with what we can do to get maximum benefit from establishing the commission. 'Other commissions have come on board; we cannot afford to perform below them. This time around, we must have a yardstick. Otherwise, not only the minister, the chairman of the House committee, or the MD, but all of you are from the northeast; a time will come when we will call you out that there is nothing tangible to show within your tenure.' Zulum, however, assured the minister and the NEDC management of the governors' commitment within the Northeast to support the commission in achieving its mandate. Despite his demand, the governor also commended the NEDC for supporting the state with humanitarian aid, school projects, and other programmes that positively affect the lives of the people of Borno State and the region. Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Reuters
4 days ago
- Climate
- Reuters
Heavy rains in Nigeria kill at least 21
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, May 29 (Reuters) - At least 21 people were killed in north central Nigeria on Thursday when their homes were destroyed by heavy rains and nearly a dozen were missing, the local emergency agency said. Ibrahim Hussaini, head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency told Reuters that 50 houses were submerged in water in two communities in the state. "Twenty-one bodies have so far been recovered in the incident, while over 10 persons were still missing as the search and rescue operation continued," Hussaini told Reuters. Nigeria is prone to flooding during the rainy season, which began in April.
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Explosion leaves 8 anti-extremist soldiers dead in Nigeria
Violence from Nigeria's conflict has also spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon. (EPA Images pic) KANO : Eight members of an anti-extremist militia assisting the Nigerian military were killed yesterday when their vehicle hit a landmine in northeastern Borno state, sources from the group told AFP. Members of the militia were returning to the regional capital Maiduguri from the town of Marte in the Lake Chad area, where they had helped to repel an extremist attack on a military base, the two sources said. 'Their vehicle hit the landmine while driving between the towns of Marte and Dikwa around 2pm, killing all eight of them onboard,' Babakura Kolo, an anti-extremist militia leader in the region, told AFP. In mid-May, fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) attacked a military base in Marte, a town in Borno state, killing four soldiers and seizing weapons before torching the facility. The victims of yesterday's attack were among a contingent of anti-extremist militia who remained in Marte to help troops guard the town, said Ibrahim Liman, another militia leader. Liman gave the same toll, saying the bodies of the victims were brought to Maiduguri, 90km away, and 'will be buried tomorrow morning'. The Nigerian military yesterday confirmed troops had thwarted an extremist attempt to 'infiltrate' the Marte base, resulting in the 'decimation of several fleeing terrorists' with air support. Two soldiers were killed in the incident, the military said in a statement. Iswap and rival Boko Haram have escalated attacks on communities in Borno and neighbouring Adamawa and Yobe states in recent months. They have also have intensified attacks on military bases, overrunning more than a dozen in two months, according to an AFP tally. The 16-year extremist conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around 2 million from their homes in the northeast, according to the United Nations. The violence has also spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the extremist groups.
