In Maiduguri, not long ago, the skies opened — not with hope, but with fury. Floodwaters swept through communities, killing and displacing thousands. It was a horror that should have sparked immediate national alarm. But before the shock could fully settle, tragedy struck again — this time in Mokwa, Niger State, where floods from rains have claimed 151 lives and displaced over 3,000 people so far. Each number hides a face, a story, a home washed away by what has become a grim annual ritual in Nigeria.
Floods are no longer unforeseen disasters. They are expected visitors, arriving with the rains, bringing sorrow to communities already battling poverty and insecurity. The statistics pile up each year, yet meaningful change remains elusive.
It is time to ask: what exactly is being done?
The Federal Government must move beyond reactionary measures. National emergency preparedness must be strengthened with real-time early warning systems, improved drainage infrastructure, and urban planning that enforces environmental regulations. There must also be strategic investments in desilting water channels and building dams and retention basins in flood-prone areas.
State governments must stop treating flood response as a seasonal photo opportunity. They must engage experts to map high-risk zones, enforce building codes, and empower local emergency management agencies with funding and equipment to act swiftly.
Communities, too, must take responsibility. Waste disposal habits must change. Plastics and refuse clogging gutters must end. Local leaders should lead sensitization efforts on the dangers of erecting buildings on waterways and the need for community-led resilience actions.
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And the Electricity Tinubu Promised Nigerians
But as waters rise and lives are submerged, there is another storm Nigerians are battling — The frequent collapse of the national power grid and the failure of a promise.
In 2023, during the heat of his campaign, President Bola Tinubu told Nigerians in clear words: “Do not vote for me again if I fail to provide electricity.” Two years into his administration, Nigeria has witnessed more national grid collapses than ever before. Homes are in darkness. Small and medium-scale businesses are crumbling under the weight of diesel costs and generator maintenance. The economy is bleeding, not just from inflation, but from a crippling lack of energy to drive productivity.
So we must ask: Mr. President, where is the electricity you promised?
Just recently, your party, the APC, endorsed and named you as its sole candidate for 2027 — a move that suggests confidence in your leadership. But confidence must be earned, not inherited. How many more blackouts will Nigerians endure before your administration accepts that this is not just a technical failure, but a leadership one?
Nigeria is tired of floods, of darkness, of unfulfilled promises. We cannot continue to live in panic every time clouds gather, nor can we grow a modern economy by candlelight.
It is time for action — real, people-centered, and accountable action. The rains are coming. So too is judgment, in the eyes of the displaced, the bereaved, the jobless, and the betrayed.
