Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has urged the federal government to speed up the reconstruction of the collapsed dyke at Alau Dam, which resulted in the devastating flood that nearly sweeps the state capital, Maiduguri and its surrounding local government areas.
He decried that with about four months to another rainfall, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources needs to speed up efforts to reconstruct the dam to avoid any eventualities.
The Alau Dam is situated in Alau, a community under Konduga local government area of Borno.
It was constructed between 1984 and 1986 to control water floor and minize potential flood disaster and provide excess water for irrigation and domestic use in Maiduguri.
Zulum made the appeal on Monday after receiving the report of the assessment committee that investigated the root cause of the dam’s collapse.
He lamented that the reconstruction of the dam is taking longer than it should, hinting of taking the matter to the presidency.
“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 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 latter; 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 Northeast 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 with the serious commitment we can rebuild the substantial part of the dyke, which has collapsed,” Zulum explained.
The governor noted that the committee inaugurated by the state government had taken temporary measures to stop the water from spilling from the dam.
Zulum also assured that despite limited resources, his administration would partner with the federal government to ensure that such a devastating flood would not occur again in Borno.
“As a responsible government, we will not fold our arms and wait for the federal government until another disaster occurs, despite the flooding having seriously affected our financial capacity,” he said.
