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The Northern Senators Forum has called on the Federal and Niger State Governments to develop a permanent and coordinated solution to the recurring flooding affecting communities in Niger State, particularly Shiroro, Minna, Chanchaga and Bosso. In a statement signed by the forum’s Chairman, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, the lawmakers expressed sympathy with residents who lost loved ones, homes, farms, businesses and livelihoods to the latest floods. They acknowledged the intervention of the National Emergency Management Agency and the Niger State Emergency Management Agency but stressed that repeated emergency relief alone cannot address the underlying causes of the disaster.
For the long term, the senators proposed the development of a Shiroro Flood Management Master Plan that would bring together federal and state agencies, dam operators, technical experts, local authorities and affected communities. The plan should include a scientifically determined flood-buffer strategy for the Shiroro, Kainji and Jebba dams, permanent flood forecasting and early-warning systems, as well as trained local volunteers in downstream communities. They also called for an independent technical assessment of dam operations, reservoir capacity and spillway performance to determine how water releases can be better managed in response to changing climate conditions.
The forum further advocated a comprehensive floodplain resettlement programme that would provide planned settlements, compensation and livelihood support for residents repeatedly affected by flooding. In the immediate term, the lawmakers urged authorities to distribute relief materials to verified victims, provide temporary shelters with basic health and sanitation facilities, and deploy emergency evacuation and early-warning teams before the peak of the rainy season. They also urged residents to obey safety warnings and avoid constructing on waterways and natural drainage channels. The senators said road and drainage repairs should form part of a wider environmental and water-resource management strategy addressing deforestation, inadequate drainage and unregulated development along riverbanks.
