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Flood destroys rice farms in Kwara, governor orders investigation 

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The Kwara State Government has initiated an investigation into the unusual flooding that submerged rice farmlands spanning thousands of hectares in Shonga, Edu Local Government Area.

A delegation led by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Princess Bukola Babalola, visited the affected community, Tada, on Sunday to assess the situation. The team also delivered relief materials worth millions of naira to the victims.

The flooding has raised concerns about food security and caused significant losses for farmers in the area.

Princess Babalola assured the farmers that the government is committed to addressing the damage caused by the flooding, both immediately and in the long term, to prevent further losses of lives and farmlands.

“We are here to see the damage done to the farms, especially the rice farms in Tada community. We have seen what happened and we are taking the message back to His Excellency Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to see what can be done to remedy the situation — immediate and future remedies — and avert loss of lives and farmlands. 

A lot of farmers are crying here that they need a lot of support. We have heard their complaints, and help is on the way,” she said.

Northern farmers suffer massive losses  

“Our farmers here came from different states in the north. We have farmers from Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, and Niger State, and they have lost millions of naira worth of rice farms to this flooding,” he said 

Abdulkadir called for a permanent solution to the flooding problem, suggesting the dredging of the River Niger.

“When there was no flooding, we realised over 3m metric tonnes of rice here annually. We thank the government for coming to our aid immediately. This should not end here. We want the government to find the permanent solution to perennial flooding in this axis.” 

“From here up to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, and Mali, there was no rain. The Sahel is dry. How can there be a flood here? The source of this flood must be local,” the Emir said. 

“We have asked from Kainji Dam, and they said it wasn’t from them. But Jebba Dam could not deny it. In fact, they said they would soon close it,” he said.

What you should know 

As of November 2024, Nigeria is facing a severe hunger crisis, with an estimated 33.1 million people expected to be food insecure by August 2025.

This situation is exacerbated by economic hardships, high inflation, and the devastating effects of flooding on agricultural production.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) estimates that the floods have destroyed enough crops to feed up to 8.5 million people. Farmers who had been expecting bumper harvests in rice, groundnuts, and vegetables have seen their crops wiped out, leaving many communities struggling to recover.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) estimates that the floods have destroyed enough crops to feed up to 8.5 million people. Farmers who had been expecting bumper harvests in rice, groundnuts, and vegetables have seen their crops wiped out, leaving many communities struggling to recover.

In addition to the crop losses, the floods have also caused significant damage to infrastructure, including market enclosures, which allowed animals to escape, and storage units containing fodder and machinery.

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