Nigerians Way of Life Being Threatened by Intense Flooding as Death Toll Rises

Flooding is causing horrible devastation in Nigeria, where high amount of damage is being done.

Abuja, Nigeria / Mandatory Credit - Solomon Wada

Nigeria has been hit hard the last few weeks by devastating flooding throughout the country. As a result, the well-being of people in the nation is being threatened as their way of life has been interrupted.

To this point, at least 185 people have been killed because of the flooding. Blame for how badly things have gotten are being placed on the infrastructure and dams that aren’t being maintained properly.

Along with the poor infrastructure, failure to abide by environmental guidelines is attributed to the horrific flooding.

Normally, heavier rainfall that the nation cannot handle would be blamed for the flooding. But, thus far in 2024, the recorded rainfall hasn’t been as much as in years past. This time, the culprits are humans themselves.

“What we are doing is causing this climate change so there is a shift from the normal," said Ibrahim Wasiu Adeniyi, head of the central forecasting unit. "We have some who dump refuse indiscriminately, some build houses without approvals along the waterways,” he added, courtesy of Chinedu Asadu Associated Press via ABC News.

At least 208,000 people have been displaced because of the flooding in 28 out of the 36 Nigerian states. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated to makeshift shelters are they attempt to wait things out safely.

These floods haven’t been as damaging as in 2022, with a recorded death toll north of 600 and more than 1 million people being evacuated and displaced. Unfortunately, Nigeria isn’t anywhere near being in the clear.

“People (in flood-prone areas) need to evacuate now … because we don’t have time any longer,” its spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, said.

In addition to homes being washed away, farmlands are being destroyed as well. The nation’s food supply, which was already in danger, is becoming an even more difficult situation to deal with.

Most of the damage to farms to this point is in northern states. Overall, more than 107,000 hectares have been destroyed. Farming is the main source of income for many people, which is creating monetary issues for them along with an increase in hunger for others.