Concern over Maiduguri’s food and other commodity shortage is mounting as thousands of people fight to survive following a devastating flood.

This comes as more than a thousand tomato growers in Maiduguri have bemoaned the loss of their means of subsistence after their crops were submerged by a flood, resulting in a loss of over N1,000,450,000.

The Alau Dam spillway collapsed, causing a massive flood that severely damaged the city in the northeast, uprooting thousands of people and flooding important roads, homes, and businesses in the metropolis as well as portions of the state’s Jere Local Government Area.

Major markets, including the town’s grain, fruit, and vegetable depots, were swamped by Tuesday’s flood, while

Due to the development, there was a scarcity of food, which drove up the cost of the few that were available.

Food is hard to come by right now because every big market is underwater.

Hajara Mohammed stated, “Despite the pressure from customers, I can’t operate my restaurant because the foodstuff I stocked has been exhausted.”

Amina Isa, Rhoda Abdullahi, and Jummai Mohammed, among other food sellers who served clients the day before, stated that their supplies had run out and there was nowhere to get more.

The flood that flooded the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Maiduguri Specialist Hospital had an impact on the health sector as well.

Residents are already expressing alarm about potential public health emergencies, such as cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne disease outbreaks.

In particular, they voiced concern about the water that destroyed remains at the Maiduguri cemetery.

As food supplies arrive, Governor Babagana Zulum has visited several emergency camps to give money to those who have been displaced.

While bemoaning the extent of the losses the flood has caused to thousands of their members, Muhammad Nur, the chairperson of the Tomato Growers Association of Nigeria’s Borno State chapter, called on the government to assist them since their means of subsistence has been destroyed.

He stated that 105 farmers at the Alau Dam, 115 in Dutsman, 120 in Zabarmari, 35 in Molai, 100 in Faria, all inside the Jere Local Government Area, and 350 in Bukassi under the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) were impacted by the flood.

Additionally, Nur stated that 217 farmers

According to him, every farmer cultivates at least one hectare of tomatoes, with a hectare costing roughly N850,000.

Nur emphasised that many people have been homeless and that the water has buried roughly 90% of Maiduguri.

He claimed that the flood has truly caused chaos in the state and that now is not the greatest time for the farmers there.

A farmer in Jere Local Government Area’s Faria neighbourhood bemoaned the losses they had suffered.

There are more than 150 farmers present, and since more than just tomato growers were impacted, we want government action. Our farms have vanished, and we have been uprooted. When this happened, we were meant to be harvesting; we are begging the

Responding to the tragedy, Sani Danladi, National Secretary of the National Tomato Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria, urged the federal and state governments to assist association members impacted by the flood in Borno, highlighting the billions of naira that had been destroyed.

“We want our farmers who are impacted by the flood in Borno to receive assistance from the federal and state governments.” A waste of billions of naira had occurred. Not just tomato producers, but all farmers in the state who are impacted, should receive assistance from the government.

He explained that this is crucial so that farmers can resume farming when the water passes.

The flood that devastated Borno State on Tuesday has harmed over a million people, according to Governor Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum.

The governor revealed this to reporters as he gave out cash and prepared meals to refugees seeking safety at the Bukassi camp in Maiduguri.

He claimed that the Health Emergency Committee was established to stop epidemics caused by flooding in Maiduguri and Jere City.

You can see how the area was entirely inundated with water, including the sewage system. This indicates that waterborne illnesses could spread, but insha’Allah we should be able to overcome it.

Approximately one-fourth of Maiduguri is under water, however the exact extent of the destruction is still unknown.

Approximately one-fourth of Maiduguri is under water, however the exact extent of the destruction is still unknown.

“We are providing immediate succour, which is good and non-food items, this morning. The affected population is up to one million,” he stated.

According to Zulum, in order to assess the extent of the loss of life and property, a search and rescue team started conducting operations throughout the impacted communities.

“Affected persons’ data would be gathered immediately,” he continued.

The governor announced that he would use the N3 billion flood intervention cash that he had received from the federal government to address the difficulties that the flood victims were facing.

Answering a query on what caused the flood, the

Zulum promised that unlawful buildings on waterways and in areas vulnerable to flooding would be removed, and that the Alau Dam would be rebuilt and modified to control its volume.

Once more, Mohammed Barkindo, the Director-General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), reported that at least 719 people who had been devastated by the floods in Maiduguri and Jere had been saved from rooftops and trees.

This was revealed by the DG during a Wednesday briefing on the flood situation, which had reached its second day.

Before being transferred to safer areas, Barkindo stated that the victims received treatment and were placed under monitoring.

719 persons who were stuck in running water, upstairs, or on trees were rescued by SEMA and taken to their designated destinations using divers. The rescue efforts commenced on Tuesday and are still ongoing as of this writing.

“Since they were brought to private homes and insisted on living with their relatives, we recorded their conversations to enquire about their wellbeing.

Almost all

He claimed that in order to complete the job, the divers made do with homemade rescue equipment like rope, tubes, and other supplies.

226 Communities Affected, 49 Killed in Kano Floods

As of January 2024, 226 communities in 27 Local Government Areas of the state have been devastated by floods and windstorms, with 49 confirmed deaths, according to the Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

This was revealed on Wednesday while Alhaji Isyaku Abdullahi-Kubarachi, the Executive Secretary of SEMA, briefed reporters in Kano.

He noted that 14 local government areas in the state had previously been assigned a high risk of flooding by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET).

Tudun Wada, Gwale, Wudil, Danbatta, Ajingi, Dala, Gwarzo, Madobi, Bichi, Kano Municipal, Karaye, Tarauni, Minjibir, Bebeji, Rogo, Shanono, Kabo, he added, were among the regions impacted.

He lists the other local government areas as Kumbotso, Nasarawa, Kura, Dawakin Kudu, Dawakin Tofa, Gezawa, Rogo, and Bagwai.

He reported that 38, 814 people were impacted by the flood and that 6,583 dwellings were destroyed.

According to the SEMA director, “8,289 farmlands equivalent to ‘36,265 hectares’ were destroyed, 1, 414 people were displaced, and 139 people were injured.”