FG dismisses reports on Lagbo Dam being responsible for flooding in Nigeria

The Federal Government on Wednesday dismissed reports that water from the Lagbo Dam in Cameroon is responsible for the flooding in various parts of Nigeria.

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, at the 2023 budget defence of the ministry in Abuja on Wednesday, admitting that water is being released from the dam into Nigeria, said that the inflow from the dam is only one per cent of the volume of the flood in the country.

The minister had said: “Yes, the dam releases water; sometimes it releases water without notice and when they do that, it has impact on communities downstream.

“It is not the main reason you have flood in this country.

“The tributaries of River Benue are the main cause. And this year, the rains have been unprecedented.

“The trans-boundary water that even comes into this country from Rivers Niger and Benue constitutes only 20 per cent of the fresh water that flows into the country.

“Eighty per cent of the flood is water we are blessed with from the sky falling on Mambila and Jos Plateau.

“Most of this flow is from Nigeria.”

The minister also said that the Cameroonian Government does not always notify the Federal Government on the annual release of water from Lagbo Dam.

He stated: “It took a lot of effort for us for them to sign an MoU to be informing Nigeria about releases.

“It was signed in 2016. Since then, every year , when the flood season comes it is the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency that calls them to know their level of water.

“We cannot blame the flood this year on Cameroon. We can only blame them for violating the terms of the MoU.”

Adamu further said that government would call for a review of the MoU.