The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has expressed deep sympathy to families affected by the recent devastating flood in Mokwa, Niger State, and has called on the Nigerian government to adopt proactive and coordinated measures to prevent future disasters.
The latest incident, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday, May 29, 2025, following intense rainfall, has reportedly displaced over 3,000 residents, destroyed homes and businesses, and claimed more than 100 lives. Many others remain missing.
Mokwa, a strategic transit town in North Central Nigeria, has become the latest casualty in the recurring pattern of catastrophic floods in the country. HOMEF, an environmental justice group, lamented the consistent failure of emergency preparedness and called for urgent and comprehensive intervention.
Speaking on the disaster, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of HOMEF, said: “This is a horrendous recurring decimal. There are no words to describe our lack of preparedness and the dilapidated state of our infrastructure. Combined with insecurity and the forecast of more rains, the displacement crisis will worsen.
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Now is the time to declare a nationwide environmental emergency.” Dr. Bassey emphasized that while the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other forecasting bodies have issued timely warnings, the absence of resettlement plans and relocation strategies renders these alerts ineffective.
“Forecasts and warnings without coordinated action and contingency plans only result in repeated tragedies. We must move from reactive to proactive disaster management,” he added. Stephen Oduware, HOMEF’s Programme Manager for Fossil Politics, also expressed concern over the rising frequency and intensity of flood-related damage.
He urged the government to go beyond short-term palliatives and implement long-term solutions. “The rainy season is just beginning, and already we are witnessing deadly flash floods. What are the concrete plans in place to ensure that predicted heavy rainfall does not become another national catastrophe?
Floods leave behind a trail of destruction, including loss of lives, property, and livelihoods.” HOMEF noted that the causes of flooding are twofold: the growing impacts of climate change and poor urban planning. The group called on the federal and state governments to invest in resilient infrastructure, preserve wetlands, and enforce development regulations in flood-prone areas.
“We need to address the root causes of climate change, improve infrastructure, and restore natural ecosystems that can absorb floodwaters,” HOMEF stated. The organization urged all relevant government agencies to work collaboratively in responding to the disaster and to provide urgent relief and rehabilitation to the affected communities.
