With the rainy season making its presence, residents of Borno State fear a repeat of the devastating 2024 floods.
Despite the Federal Government’s ₦80 billion pledge to rehabilitate the Alau Dam, observers say no visible repair work has begun, and key infrastructure like the collapsed Fori Bridge remains in ruins.
In Fori, 38-year-old Fatima Musa and her son still rely on a fragile, makeshift bridge made of wooden planks to cross the Ngadda River—a river that claimed lives and property during last year’s floods. The original bridge, a critical link between Maiduguri neighbourhoods and institutions, was swept away in the disaster.
According to a University of Maiduguri student, Zainab Yahaya, who also crosses the unstable bridge daily, “With the rains nearing, she fears it won’t hold. “When the water rises, this bridge will collapse; then, everything becomes harder and more expensive”, she said, noting rising transport costs and safety concerns.
An investigation linked the flooding to failures at Alau Dam – overloaded due to sediment buildup and poor maintenance. Designed in 1986 to hold 112 million cubic meters of water; the dam now holds up to 296 million, with uncontrolled overflow from a downstream dam worsening the disaster.
Although the rehabilitation was flagged-off in March 2025, locals say no work has started beyond sand piles and idle machinery. “They brought bulldozers, did nothing, and left”, one resident said.
Farmers like Bulama Isa, who lost their land to the floods, now rely on relatives for survival. “I used to feed my family from this land. Now there’s nothing”, he lamented.
As of May 2025, neither the dam nor the bridge has been repaired. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, (NEMA), forecasts peak flooding between July and September.
With no Government response, residents brace for another cycle of destruction.
