Top Natural Disasters in Nigeria’s History

Unlike many other countries of the world that have witnessed quite a number of deadly natural disaster. Nigeria is one of the most blessed countries, there has never been any proven record of a natural disaster like earthquake, tornado, Tsunami amongst others.

However, that doesn’t mean that Nigeria is way lot better than some of the countries affected by natural resources. This is not to say that Nigeria has never experienced any form of disaster before, whether natural or man-made.

As a matter of fact, most of the major disasters in Nigeria are something that is highly preventable. In other words, would it not be fair enough to say that the country only suffers from man-made disaster. Interestingly, aside from terrorist attacks that claimed the lives and properties of many Nigerians, a flood is the other major disaster that Nigeria faces.

Flood has been what Nigerians have been enduring for quite some time due to the poor drainage system in some parts of the country. Should there be a proper drainage system, the topic would have been changed, that is why this disaster should be categorised under the man-made one.

Almost all the states in Nigeria have gone through one or more experiences in the past. The worst of the flooding came in the year 2012, where there were known to be over four (4) months of a flood.

Annually, Nigeria experiences heavy rain when the rainy season sets in, and the resulting damage is always flooding and erosion, especially when there is no adequate or available drainage system.

When heavy rain falls in a region or part of Nigeria where people are overpopulated or where there is no drainage system at all, there is every possibility that the area in question will be flooded.

In this article, we are going to be taking a look at the list of natural disasters, precisely flood cases that has been reported over time in Nigeria.

2012 Nigeria Flood

The Flood, which occurred in the year 2012, was one of the worst nightmare of the country. The flood reportedly started around July 2012. The end result of it was the death of over 363 people. As if that is not bad enough, over 2.1 million people were rendered homeless in space of three months that the flood lasted.

Study research by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recorded that at least 30 of the 36 states of the Federation experienced the flood. The flood recorded in 2012 had damages worth about N2.6 trillion.

States such as Adamawa, Plateau, Taraba, and Benue states were known to have experienced the flood more than the other 26 others.

The flood started after a heavy downpour which lasted for several days causing the overflow of the popular Lamingo dam in Jos, Plateau state.

The flood began on the 2nd of July 2012, where heavy rains were recorded in some parts of Lagos state. Furthermore, gridlocks were also seen on roads, which made people to either cancel or postpone their appointments.

August and September 2012

The 2012 flood extended into August, which started in July, killing at least 33 people in Plateau state. The head of the National Emergency Management Agency in Plateau state, Abdusaalam Muhammad, made it clear that houses were destroyed, and about 12,000 people were majorly affected by the flood in about six districts of Plateau state. Hundreds of people were also without homes during the flood.

In September 2012, the Cameroon Lagdo Reservoir released water, which later resulted in the passing away of at least 30 people in Benue State.

October 2012

The 2012 flood further went on into October, reaching the Delta state and Bayelsa state region while causing over 120,000 people to flee from their homes. The capital city of Bayelsa State witnessed about 3,000 people living at the Ovum State Sports Complex.

In Delta State, major buildings such as hospitals, schools, churches, health clinics, and government-owned buildings were destroyed. The then President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, gave out 17.6 billion naira to the states that were greatly affected by the flood.

Kogi State was affected the most with about 623,900 losing their homes as well as farmlands being destroyed also.

September 2015 Flood

Floods which were caused by heavy rains were also recorded as one of Nigeria’s major natural disaster. The resulting damage to the flood was due to the breakdown of dams in a few states of Nigeria.

The heavy rains which caused the breakdown of dams led to a flood in about 11 states in Nigeria. About 53 were killed as a result of the flood, buildings were destroyed and houses were carried away by the flood.

September 2016

There was another flood that was recorded in the year 2016 which caused havoc on people and crops, respectively. The United Nations stated that the September 2016 flood damaged about 9,000 houses. Over 26,000 livestock were lost during the process of the flood and people were forced to vacate their homes. The displaced people began to live in buildings and schools as they sought shelter above their heads.

38 people were known to have died during the September 2016 flood, and about 92,000 people were declared homeless. The districts of Tahua and Agades were the most affected in the West of Nigeria.

The 1968 drought

This is the first natural disaster that does not have anything to do with water or rain. As we all know, Nigeria is situated in the Sahel region of Africa, and it is also known to be one of the driest places in Africa where there is always a lack of rain, and the rivers also dry up.

Also, the harvest as regards the crops and plants suffer, and there is not always food due to no rainfall and dry land. The drought recorded in Nigeria lasted from 1968 till 1973, and it resulted in the death of about 100,000 people.

The drought of 1968 led to the death of several animals as their bodies could be seen on the streets. A lot of people also had nothing to eat as it also led to famine in the country. As a result of the drought, people suffered and were greatly affected by diseases such as measles, whooping cough, and pneumonia. The result of the diseases led to the death of some Nigerians.

Dusty Storms

This is also another natural disaster that was recorded in the Northern region of Nigeria. The Dusty storm is an atmospheric condition that caused the atmosphere to be dusty as the wind carries dust from one place to another.

Since the 1950s, storm carrying dust has been on the rise, and it has also led to a decrease in the hardness or thickness of the soil in Northern Nigeria.

Natural disasters have not been a thing of Nigeria compared with other countries of the world that experiences earthquakes, landslides, avalanche, and the likes regularly. However, the flood which has been frequent in Nigeria not something to be happy about.

With a proper drainage system in all parts of the country is the only and possible solution to solve the problem of the flood.

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