Alau Dam disaster: 8 months after, reconstruction work yet to begin

Eight months after the collapse of the Alau Dam that caused havoc and cost the state millions of lives and property, repair work as promised by the government is yet to commence.

Residents of Alau, Maiduguri and other communities in Borno State are living in fear over the failure by the federal government to repair the destroyed part of Alau Dam.

Recently, Alau and Maiduguri recorded the first rainfall in 2025, expecting more downpour in the days ahead.

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The residents said they wanted the dam quickly fixed to avoid a repeat of the September 10, 2024 flooding that submerged Maiduguri, killed over a hundred persons and displaced 1 million residents.

After the disaster, government officials blamed climate change as being responsible for the flood, but earlier warnings by locals and experts suggested that the dam was at risk well before it collapsed and the officials did not anything about it.

On February 5, 2025, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Bola Tinubu, approved N80 billion for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the dam to forestall another flood disaster.

On March 1, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, flagged off the project, which, according to him, would be completed within 24 months.

Utsev said the project would be carried out in two phases – the first would run from March to September 2025 and would cover the immediate intervention of flood risk in the state, while the second phase, which would begin in October until the completion of the reconstruction, would focus on extensive de-silting and structural enhancement to ensure a long-term functionality of the dam

However, two months into the commencement date of the first phase of the project, Weekend Trust visited Alau to ascertain the status of the project site, but there were no signs of work in progress. There were not enough visible equipment to indicate that the project would commence anytime soon despite predictions by the minister that there could be an impending flood in Borno State.

Based on the prediction by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Borno is among the 30 states that would experience flooding between May and November, 2025. Unfortunately, the work has not started.

The question that has lingered on the lips of many residents in Alau and Maiduguri is: ‘Have the Nigerian authorities learnt any lesson; or is history bound to repeat itself?’

In an interview with our correspondent, many residents in Alau expressed disappointment with the federal government for not mobilising resources to commence the project.

A housewife in Alau, Hajara Lawan, said the entire village is afraid of the potential damage the lack of the dam repair would cause.

“We are afraid that once the rains fall again, water from the dam would rise and spell more doom for us since the project has not started.

“Last year, before that devastating flood struck, we saw the signs and alerted the government, but their inaction led to the disaster.

“They brought two cranes and one container to the site but later took the container away. Even the crane drivers said they were tired of waiting and left,” she said.

She appealed to the federal government to quickly mobilise contractors to site to forestall the imminent flood disaster that may be worse than that of last year.

“We are apprehensive that the situation may be dire here in Alau, but Maiduguri would be worst affected in the event of any flood. 

“I learnt that the federal government promised to start the project in two months, but they couldn’t. We want them to honour their words and start the project now,” she said.

She said the last September flood destroyed many farmlands and rendered many households in the village jobless.

“All we know here are farming and fishing, but we lost them all. Many of us can’t feed our children. The flood has eroded our farms in such a way that we can’t use them to cultivate,” she added.

Our correspondent also reports that only two cranes were seen parked at the upland of the Alau Dam area.

The village head of Alau, Bulama Kadai, warned of the impending danger of not starting the project, adding that it took him a lot of wisdom to suppress a protest intended by the villagers last week.

“I am appealing to the federal government to resume work to avoid the inherent danger it causes if the dam is filled to capacity,” he said.

He said the state government had to mobilise contractors to site to avert recurrence of what happened in the past.

“If not, all the heaps of sand and builders gathered by the state government to salvage the remaining water from escape after the flood will not prevent the flood disaster.

“The water level will rise above the sand, penetrate beneath it and ravage the village and the communities at the lower part of the dam, up to Maiduguri. 

“The September flood sacked many communities and farmlands, rendering thousands of farmers and fishermen jobless. Today, many of our fishermen have migrated to Gambarou, Dikwa and Cameroon,” he said. 

He also complained that irrigation farmers in the community could no longer cultivate their farms because of the land degradation caused by the flood.

“We want the government to remediate our destroyed farmlands to boost the agricultural potential of Alau. 

“Before the flood, we supplied large vegetables, sweet potatoes, cassava, fish and fruits to Maiduguri market, but unfortunately, today, my people can’t even feed themselves.

“We want the government to bring a heavy duty grader to level the place and apply fertile soil in that area so that people can reclaim their livelihoods. People are hungry now,” he also said.

Babagana Lawan Kolo, another resident of Alau Laujari, said they had started packing their goods to migrate from the village.

He said, “By the look of things, the federal government is not willing to start the work. Whoever witnessed last year’s flood will never take this thing lightly.

“The September flood drowned over 90 people, apart from animals and the farmlands that were destroyed. 

“We were all devastated by the calamity, but slowly, we came to terms with the reality.

“All the Hausa and Kanuri boys that lived around the Kwata area drowned in the water. Now, you can see many canoes at the bank of the dam without their owners.”

Usman Mala blamed the government for its failure to take prompt action to avert the September flood despite repeated warnings by the community.

“When the water level reached its peak, government officials came from Maiduguri with heavy duty trucks trying to help us sand-fill the cracking part of the dike. We joined them to work for three days, but our efforts were overpowered and there was devastating damage to our orchards and farms,” he said. 

He called on the federal government to start the reconstruction project to prevent recurrence this season.

Maiduguri residents lament 

Alau dam is called the “lifeline of Maiduguri” because it provides 40 per cent of potable water for residents, but the town has been hit by water scarcity.

Usman Mala added, “After the flood, many lives were lost while houses and government infrastructures were destroyed. 

“Unfortunately, there has been scarcity in Gwange, Bulabulin and other areas since the flood destroyed pipelines and reservoirs that supplied water to the areas.”

It also accounts for about 40 per cent of the water needs of Maiduguri residents and neighbouring communities.

We’re running out of time, Zulum alerts FG

On December 24, 2024, the Borno State governor, Prof Babagana Umara Zulum alerted the federal government that another rainy season was months away and called for an urgent need to reconstruct the collapsed dam.

“By next week we shall be in January, and rainfall will set in some parts of Borno State by March. We have limited time.

“The earlier we begin something, the better for us. The federal government’s assessment team was in Maiduguri and they had a consultation with the committee we inaugurated.

“On our part as state government, we shall push this matter to the letter. I am of the view that in a few days, if there is no action on the ground, I will go and see Mr President and beg him to allow the North-East Development Commission to take over and start the reconstruction immediately.

“If we decide to wait for the bureaucracy, I am afraid we will run out of time. If we can start on time, I am sure that with serious commitment we can rebuild the substantial part of the dam,” the governor said.

When contacted, the manager, Quality Assurance, Federal Ministry of Water Resources in Borno State, Abdullahi Abubakar, an engineer, said he was not in a position to speak on the matter.

Our correspondent also visited the Lake Chad Basin Development Authority (LCBDA), and the spokesman, Muhammad Bukar, said he was not in a position to speak about the dam contract.

“I advise you write a letter seeking for audience with the managing director,” he told Weekend Trust.

Recall that  in October 2024, the FEC had constituted an inter-ministerial technical committee for the re-evaluation of dams in Nigeria. The committee was tasked with assessing the safety and functionality of these dams, their social and environmental impacts, and developing a comprehensive plan to address challenges. The committee was formed in response to the devastating floods in Maiduguri, Borno State, and other parts of the country. 

In the north-east, the committee was mandated to look at the Giri dam, where a study revealed that the sedimentation level of about 40 per cent of the life storage of that dam required urgent attention.  

In the south, the committee is to look at the Ogbese multipurpose Dam in Ekiti, the Oyan dam in Abeokuta, the Egbo dam and Adada dam in Enugu.

THE committee is also expected they  to focus on  Obudu dam in Cross Rivers, Nkari dam in Akwa Ibom and the Bakolori dam in Sokoto states.