By SANI BATURE & AUGUSTINA McSOLOMON-OGHAKPERUO

Erosion, Flooding Put North-Central Communities Under Siege as Homes, Roads & Livelihoods Crumble

ACROSS Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger states, erosion and flooding are steadily transforming environmental hazards into threats to homes, roads, farms and livelihoods.

A survey of affected communities found expanding gullies, damaged infrastructure, displaced residents and disrupted economic activities. Although governments and development partners have introduced several intervention projects, many communities remain exposed.

Residents are therefore demanding sustained intervention, better drainage and stronger preventive measures before the damage becomes irreversible.

Kogi Communities Battle Expanding Gullies

In Kogi State, communities in Idah and Egbe have continued to grapple with severe erosion and flooding.

Residents behind the Government Technical College in Idah, stretching towards Oga Memorial Grammar School in Igalaogba Ward, said the problem had worsened over several years.

Hadizat Umoru, a resident, said erosion had damaged buildings and fences around her home. She added that some residents could no longer reach their houses because the expanding gully had taken over access routes.

The erosion has also affected transportation. Residents said they can no longer use cars or motorcycles on some sections of the road.

Umoru said the problem had persisted for about five years and worsened each year. Some residents had relocated, while others who could not afford to move now occupy only parts of their homes.

Residents have also resorted to self-help. They contribute money and labour to repair damaged roads and protect vulnerable areas.

Umoru attributed part of the problem to the drainage system along the Idah-Ajaka Road, which she alleged had failed to adequately control water flow.

Residents Resort to Self-Help

Jibrin James, a businessman in the area, said erosion had severely damaged houses and access roads.

He recalled that residents previously contributed funds to repair a section of the major access road after erosion almost cut it off.

James said World Bank officials had visited the area twice to assess the damage, including with drone cameras. However, he said remedial work had yet to begin.

He argued that the situation had moved beyond simply trying to stop the erosion.

According to him, authorities now need to provide proper drainage channels to direct water safely through the area.

Another resident, Salif Musa, said residents had been filling cement bags with sand to slow the spread of the gully.

The measures highlight the gap between the scale of the problem and the resources available to affected households.

Egbe Faces a Similar Threat

In Egbe, civil engineer and resident Ayokunle Gbadebo-Olajide described the town as highly vulnerable because mountains and hills surround it.

He said heavy rainfall regularly triggers erosion and flooding, affecting the main road linking Egbe with neighbouring communities.

The damage has consequences far beyond transportation.

According to him, erosion and flooding have washed away streets, exposed building foundations and caused some houses to collapse. The disruption also affects the movement of farm produce and cuts off smaller communities.

He blamed inadequate preventive measures, limited funding and construction on natural waterways and flood paths.

Gbadebo-Olajide pointed to an earlier community project supported by a bank as an example of what targeted intervention could achieve.

The project constructed a deep drainage system along part of Egbe. It helped control erosion, protect homes and reclaim land previously lost to gullies.

He urged authorities to replicate such interventions in other vulnerable areas.

Kogi Government Defends Intervention

The Kogi State Government said it was already taking steps to address erosion and related environmental challenges.

Bode Adeyemi, Chairman of the Forum of Special Advisers to Governor Ahmed Ododo and Special Adviser on Energy Matters, said the administration had undertaken interventions across the state’s 21 local government areas.

He cited ongoing erosion-control projects in Kabba and other areas.

Adeyemi also reaffirmed the state’s commitment to the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project and the European Investment Bank-supported intervention targeting erosion, flooding and environmental degradation.

He said Kogi’s location at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers made the state particularly vulnerable.

The government has also urged residents to complement public intervention through tree planting, proper waste disposal and protection of watersheds.

Nasarawa Sees Gains but More Communities Need Help

In Nasarawa State, some residents said government-backed erosion-control projects had begun to produce results.

Suleiman Abdullahi of Doma Local Government Area said intervention had saved homes, farmland and roads previously threatened by erosion.

He said residents could now access homes that had previously become difficult to reach.

However, the intervention has not covered every affected community.

Grace Ezekiel of Angwan Nungu in Lafia said areas such as Ombi One and Bukan Sidi continued to suffer from severe gully erosion.

She appealed for the extension of government projects to those communities.

The Nasarawa State Government said it had invested heavily in erosion control.

Commissioner for Environment, Natural Resources and Mining, Princess Margaret Elayo, said the administration had constructed drainage systems and undertaken other measures to reduce soil degradation.

Through the World Bank-assisted Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project, the state has implemented erosion-control activities in severely affected local government areas.

Elayo said the government had awarded an ₦10 billion erosion-control contract covering Lafia, Doma and Toto.

The projects include drainage construction, gully stabilisation and rehabilitation of degraded land.

She added that affected residents had received compensation, including ₦2.4 billion in Lafia and Doma and ₦744 million in Toto.

Niger Bridge Collapse Exposes Infrastructure Vulnerability

In Niger State, the collapse of the Yinti Bridge in Katcha Local Government Area has created another serious challenge.

The bridge linked several farming communities with Katcha market and other parts of the state.

Residents said its collapse had disrupted movement and raised concerns about farmers’ ability to transport produce.

Baba Yinti said the bridge had suffered years of neglect before the latest flooding.

Yahaya Abubakar also said the structure had been deteriorating for some time.

Residents therefore argued that flooding alone should not take the blame for the collapse. They said poor maintenance and delayed rehabilitation had contributed to the crisis.

An older bridge remains available, but residents said it is also in poor condition.

The situation is particularly worrying in a farming community where road access determines whether farmers can move produce to market and obtain essential goods and services.

From Disaster Response to Prevention

The Niger State Emergency Management Agency said it was working to strengthen preventive measures.

Dr. Ibrahim Hussaini, Director of Information and Linkages at NSEMA, said the agency conducts hazard identification, risk assessments and public sensitisation.

He said disaster management was increasingly shifting from response to mitigation and prevention.

That shift is critical.

Flooding and erosion can destroy homes and infrastructure within hours, but many of the factors that worsen their impact develop over years.

Poor drainage, construction on waterways, inadequate maintenance, deforestation and weak land-use planning can all increase vulnerability.

The Cost of Waiting

The experiences of communities across the three states point to a common challenge.

Emergency interventions can save lives, but prevention can reduce the scale of destruction.

For residents already living beside expanding gullies or damaged bridges, the issue is no longer simply environmental. It is about access to homes, schools, markets, farms and health services.

The growing demand from communities is therefore straightforward: interventions must reach vulnerable areas before disasters force residents to abandon their homes and livelihoods.

For Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger, the challenge now is to move beyond isolated projects and build sustained systems for drainage, watershed protection, infrastructure maintenance and community resilience.