THE Federal Government has attributed the devastating flood that struck Mokwa town in Niger State to the effects of climate change, unregulated building practices, unchecked construction, and inadequate drainage systems.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja today,the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev, clarified that no dams collapsed during the incident.
Instead, he said the flooding resulted from intense and abnormal rainfall linked to extreme weather conditions caused by climate change.
Professor Utsev revealed that a team of technical experts from the ministry and other relevant agencies is currently evaluating the scale of destruction and exploring effective response strategies.
He urged state governments and relevant stakeholders to pay closer attention to early warning systems and to take proactive steps to prevent similar disasters in the future.
Mokwa, a strategic trading hub connecting southern traders and northern agricultural producers, is located roughly 350 kilometers east of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
In the wake of the disaster, more than 200 bodies have been recovered, and thousands of residents have been displaced.