Flood: Declare State of Emergency on Federal Roads in Niger, FG Urged

By Laleye Dipo in Minna

The Niger State government has called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on all federal roads in the state, following a heavy downpour that has destroyed the two bridges linking the northern and southern parts of the country thereby making vehicular and human movements from both sides inaccessible.

The bridges are at Tatabu and Bokani towns in Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State and part of the railway line at Tatabu has also been destroyed, thereby making rail transportation between the north and south of the country impossible.

Though no life was lost, the flood was said to have washed off two petrol tankers and a truck conveying food items from the southern part to the north of the country, while several hectares of land cultivated with maize, mellon and yam were either completely destroyed or submerged by the flood.

The Niger State Commissioner for Information, Mr Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, who carried out an on-the-spot assessment of the extent of damage by the flood on Wednesday described the situation as “disastrous”.

Vatsa said the situation was so serious that the federal government should declare “a state of emergency on all the federal roads in Niger State” and described the federal roads as “death traps”.

Details later…