MY BINOCULARS: MEMO TO GOVERNOR ZULUM…2

Still On The Perennial Flooding of Maiduguri and Why Sleepy BOSEPA Must Be Reset to Face Contemporary Reality in Garbage Management

Bodunrin Kayode

Your Excellency,

It is quite unfortunate that, despite your spirited drive to find a permanent solution to the perennial flooding in the Maiduguri metropolis, very little has been achieved, even with the establishment of a standing flood committee of “experts.” Unfortunately, the committee is yet to satisfy the flood-weary residents of the metropolis. As far as the residents are concerned, the city is likely to experience the usual flooding again in 2026 because the appointed experts have yet to prescribe a professional reticulation system that will redirect excess rainwater from the metropolis to safe discharge points outside the built-up areas. I do not believe the residents are being pessimistic. Rather, theirs is the kind of fair comment commonly expressed by ordinary Nigerians based on years of experience.

In their frustration, many residents would say: “They are too cautious to recommend the demolition of houses built on waterways to allow the free flow of water whenever heavy rains occur. They have also failed to recommend what is truly needed—a massive reticulation of a modern drainage network at the known flood-prone locations.”

However, observers like us believe that you may need at least 1,000 kilometres of modern drainage infrastructure across the most vulnerable parts of the metropolis. Constructing such concrete drainage channels within the next six months before you leave office would address the root of the problem. Anything less may result in another devastating flood in 2028 and beyond.

The committee must also act with greater urgency by reviewing its engineering strategy in collaboration with the relevant ministries to protect the residents of Maiduguri before the peak of the rainy season. Many people are frustrated by these recurring floods. As I noted earlier, they often tell themselves, “The floods will come anyway, and nobody will help us. We will simply use our buckets to scoop the water out if we can, just to survive.”

Residents living in the well-planned Government Reserved Areas (GRAs) do not express such fears. Many of them have little understanding of the flooding experienced elsewhere in the metropolis or the daily struggles associated with it. They enjoy the benefits of communities that were properly planned and developed in accordance with the original master plan.

NIMET prediction on Borno, the lingering causes of flooding in Maiduguri and solutions

With the prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) that rainfall in Borno State this year is expected to be above normal, we are likely to experience another cycle of flash floods in the city of Yerwa and the attendant consequences that usually follow. NiMet has already identified Borno as one of the states expected to be affected by flooding due to heavy rainfall, and I do not think we should take this warning for granted, Your Excellency.

By now, the machinery for the demolition of illegal structures obstructing natural waterways should have been activated so that buildings standing along the paths of water flow can be removed. We are aware of the ongoing drainage works at Dala Kogi Tipper. The fact that the project is more than 70 percent completed is an indication that ACReSAL is committed to reducing the hardship residents experience in that part of Greater Maiduguri. When completed, it is expected that the drainage system will provide a proper outlet for floodwaters from that axis up to Ngo Mari without causing unnecessary destruction of people’s homes and property.

Your Excellency, virtually none of the wards within Maiduguri and parts of Konduga can be exempted from perennial flash flooding. It has become an unfortunate reality, and we know it is a matter of great concern to you. Even the city centre is not spared because many mistakes were made during the construction of roads before your administration came into office. In many cases, engineers ignored the natural gradient of the terrain and laid asphalt without providing adequate drainage infrastructure.

Residents celebrated the construction of tarred roads, but many overlooked the absence of drainage channels. What mattered to them was that their roads had been surfaced with asphalt. However, there is little difference between an untarred road with proper drainage and a tarred road without one. In fact, during the rainy season, an untarred road with an effective drainage system is far more functional because stormwater can easily find its way to a safe outlet.

This remains the daily reality of many residents of the Maiduguri metropolis. Whenever heavy rains fall, floodwaters take over the major roads, forcing motorists and pedestrians alike to seek safety until the water eventually recedes.

Flood water overwhelming the night roundabout in the city

As a matter of fact, I do not believe it is too late for stakeholders to act proactively to save commuters around Baban Cross, which serves as one of the major gateway roundabouts into Maiduguri for travellers arriving from the international airport. This critical intersection requires a comprehensive engineering overhaul to prevent floodwaters from inundating the roundabout and disrupting traffic. During heavy rains, motorists often struggle to travel from the Leventis area to Government House or to exit the city through the Borno Express Terminus because of severe flooding.

As long as there is no functional underground drainage system to channel stormwater away from this major roundabout, commuters on foot and motorists alike will continue to face the annual ordeal of flooding. Unless corrective measures are taken, we should expect another takeover of the roadway by floodwaters before the end of July 2026.

This problem, and many others like it, has little to do with poor waste management. Rather, it is largely the result of engineering deficiencies and a failure to take the natural gradient of the terrain into account during the construction of the road network. It also reflects the inability of the flood committee to recognise the need for proactive engineering solutions and to recommend the necessary corrective measures to the relevant ministries.

The roundabout has become an embarrassing flood hotspot every rainy season. Yet none of the engineers on the flood committee appears to have undertaken a comprehensive study of the area’s topography or proposed a redesigned drainage system capable of channeling excess floodwater into the nearby River Ngadda, which flows past the zoo through Maduganari. We all know how bureaucratic processes in government ministries can delay urgent interventions. That is precisely why the flood committee, with its direct access to Your Excellency, should have submitted these recommendations long ago so that commuters would by now be enjoying lasting relief.

Every rainy season, this roundabout becomes an eyesore as floodwaters bring traffic to a standstill. Vehicles are often forced to stop along the Leventis feeder road, through the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church axis, and in some cases as far as Government House. While VIPs may be less affected because many travel in SUVs capable of navigating deep floodwaters, ordinary motorists and pedestrians bear the full burden of this recurring problem. They are the ones left stranded whenever the rains overwhelm this vital transport corridor.

BOSEPA Mess

The second major cause of the annual flooding in the metropolis is the failure of some street cleaners employed by the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) to appreciate proper waste management practices. Rather than removing garbage from the streets and drainage channels for disposal at designated dump sites, some of them merely sweep refuse and sand into the narrow gutters. In properly managed capital cities, garbage is collected from drainage channels, placed in waste containers, and transported to approved disposal sites. Unfortunately, the practice of pushing refuse and sand into gutters has become common in many parts of Maiduguri.

Some street cleaners have even joined residents in dumping all kinds of waste into the already inadequate drainage channels found across many suburbs of the city. My concern is that, unless this practice is stopped, Maiduguri may gradually develop environmental conditions similar to those of some of Nigeria’s most poorly serviced urban settlements. This is certainly not the direction we should be heading if we are serious about ending the city’s recurring flooding.

Consider this simple example. If a street sweeper empties even half a bucket of sand from Baga Road into a nearby gutter every day, blockages are inevitable over time. Such deposits might not have become a major problem if the drainage channels had been properly designed and constructed. By “properly designed,” I mean drains with a minimum depth of about half a metre, and preferably up to one metre, to accommodate heavy rainfall. Instead, many of the drainage channels in the inner streets remain shallow colonial-era gutters, often no more than one foot deep, with many already filled by decades of accumulated sand and silt. This is a fundamental engineering deficiency that requires urgent correction.

From the perspective of residents, sweeping sand from tarred roads is far less important than clearing blocked and stagnant drainage channels. Unclogged drains not only reduce flooding but also prevent stagnant water from becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other disease vectors. If even half of the time currently devoted to sweeping loose sand were redirected toward desilting and clearing drainage channels, flooding across the metropolis would be significantly reduced.

Maiduguri residents would also be spared the daily nuisance of increasing fly infestations caused by the accumulation of garbage in drainage channels and around many of the city’s markets. Effective waste management should focus not merely on keeping roads visually clean but on maintaining functional drainage systems that protect public health and reduce the risk of flooding.

Key stakeholders and their expected roles in dealing with basic causes of the flood.

Your Excellency, if all stakeholders are genuinely committed to ending the recurring flooding in Maiduguri, the standing flood committee must first recognise that the problem is structural and has existed since the early development of the state capital. It is also compounded by the behaviour of some residents who deliberately cover drainage channels because they believe the gutters attract mosquitoes and houseflies, particularly where the drains are poorly constructed or inadequately maintained.

Having lived in Mari Kuwait, I would rate its drainage infrastructure at no more than 2.5 out of 10 in terms of its capacity to prevent flooding. Bolori would score about 5 out of 10, Baga Road and Shagari Low Cost about 4 out of 10, Bama Road about 6 out of 10, and the Post Office area before the flyover about 4 out of 10. On average, even the five major roads in Maiduguri would score only about 5 out of 10.

These low ratings reflect the inadequate drainage infrastructure in many parts of the metropolis. For example, despite the quality of the Pompomari Bypass, there is no comprehensive drainage system along both sides of the road. Similar deficiencies are evident on many streets across the city. This is a planning mistake that should not be allowed to perpetuate the city’s perennial flooding challenges.

Much of Maiduguri lies on relatively low-lying terrain. Consequently, extensive drainage infrastructure should have been incorporated into the city’s original development plan. Unfortunately, more than half of the densely populated areas of the metropolis still lack adequate drainage systems. Regrettably, agencies such as the Borno Urban Planning Agency did not consistently advocate for the construction of modern drainage facilities at critical flood-prone locations, even before the establishment of the Borno State Geographic Information Service (BOGIS).

Even where drainage channels exist, some influential residents have constructed buildings directly along or across these drainage routes, making the free flow of stormwater impossible and creating unnecessary hardship for commuters in areas such as Bolori and Baga Road. For instance, many of the houses on the second street behind Anser-ud-Deen School in Bolori were reportedly built on the only available drainage channel serving that neighbourhood, yet little appears to have been done to address the situation.

Bolori Junction remains a classic example of engineering failure during periods of heavy rainfall. Although a major drainage channel has been constructed on the left side of Baga Road leading towards Baga Road Market, flooding continues because the underlying engineering problem has not been adequately addressed. This challenge extends beyond the capacity of ordinary residents or even the media, despite the latter being an important stakeholder. Rather, it reflects shortcomings within the engineering and planning processes of the relevant ministries.

Your Excellency, it is deeply concerning that residents continue to endure the consequences of these engineering deficiencies while annual flooding persists. These are precisely the kinds of problems that the flood committee you established should continue to identify and resolve. The committee must rise to its responsibilities if Borno State is to avoid a gradual deterioration into the kind of urban decline witnessed in some poorly planned cities elsewhere in the country.

Finally, removing buildings that obstruct critical drainage corridors is fundamentally a policy and urban planning issue that requires decisive government action. It extends well beyond the mandate of agencies such as the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) and demands coordinated intervention by all relevant planning, engineering, and environmental authorities.

Sleepiness of BOSEPA and why it must be reset to modern realities

It is unfortunate that BOSEPA itself is yet to recognise its institutional shortcomings and has continued to rely on short-term measures to address the persistent problem of garbage accumulation in the capital city, which also contributes significantly to flooding. In my opinion, the agency remains far behind what is expected of a modern environmental protection organisation. Many of its personnel appear to operate with limited capacity and inadequate institutional support. Your Excellency, for many of them, routine street sweeping and the occasional spraying of chemicals seem to constitute the bulk of their responsibilities, yet these activities represent only a fraction of what the agency should be doing.

Even the law establishing BOSEPA deserves a comprehensive review if the agency is to remain relevant beyond 2036 or 2040. There are numerous institutional weaknesses that require urgent attention. Unless the agency is reformed, it will continue to fall short of public expectations and, by extension, undermine the efforts of the government. Its relationship with its parent ministry is characterised by excessive bureaucracy, leaving the agency almost dormant except during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise.

Perhaps the most worrying observation is the apparent belief within the agency that it is performing optimally, when the realities on the ground suggest otherwise. Capacity development appears inadequate, and there seems to be little effort to expose staff to best practices in environmental management adopted by more advanced states. Without continuous training and institutional learning, meaningful progress will remain difficult.

A common example illustrates the problem. When drainage channels are cleared, the removed garbage is often heaped along the roadside, only for the next rainfall to wash it back into the drains, thereby recreating the same blockages that caused the flooding in the first place. Such practices undermine the very purpose of drainage maintenance.

The agency appears unable to fulfil its mandate, partly because it has lacked the strategic direction required over the past decade to implement sustainable waste management practices in Maiduguri. Your Excellency, there is also an apparent deficiency in long-term planning, largely because many members of the management team have not been sufficiently exposed to modern environmental management systems. Equally important is the absence of meaningful collaboration with the private sector, which is essential if waste management services are to be expanded and made more efficient.

Another major challenge is the shortage of appropriate equipment. While the agency frequently attributes its operational difficulties to inadequate support from its parent ministry, it should also explore innovative approaches to resource mobilisation and partnerships. A modern and independent BOSEPA should ideally possess a fleet of at least 200 waste collection trucks, supported by adequate maintenance facilities and reliable fuel supplies. Street sweepers armed only with brooms, without sufficient vehicles to evacuate collected waste, cannot deliver an effective waste management system.

Your Excellency, Greater Maiduguri requires nothing less than 2,000 strategically located waste containers distributed across its wards and neighbourhoods. These collection points would encourage residents to dispose of their waste properly and facilitate regular evacuation. However, for BOSEPA to operate an efficient 24-hour waste collection system, it must actively partner with the private sector, as the agency cannot meet this enormous responsibility alone.

With hundreds of secondary streets connected to the city’s five major road corridors, community participation should become an integral part of waste management. Many unemployed young people could be recruited into a “Clean Maiduguri Vanguard” programme and assigned responsibility for monitoring the cleanliness of designated streets and neighbourhoods in return for modest allowances. Once waste containers are filled, they would notify BOSEPA or its private-sector partners for prompt evacuation, even if collection is required more than once within a 24-hour period. Such a collaborative approach would significantly improve sanitation, reduce drainage blockages, and contribute to mitigating flooding across the Maiduguri metropolis.

Enlightenment of residents about waste dumping and management using the Shara vanguards

Finally, we must intensify public enlightenment to encourage residents to dispose of their waste only in designated refuse bins placed at strategic locations across the city. Hundreds of these waste containers can be manufactured locally, thereby creating employment opportunities while improving environmental sanitation.

Your Excellency, achieving sustainable flood control will require the active participation of all stakeholders. This includes household heads, the Shara Vanguards, Islamic scholars (Ulamas), Chief Imams, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Commissioners for Information, Environment, Health, and Works, the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Each of these groups has an important role to play in promoting environmental awareness and encouraging responsible waste disposal practices within their respective communities.

The devastating flood of 2024 exposed significant weaknesses in the city’s flood management system and demonstrated that much remains to be done. It also provided valuable lessons for all stakeholders. The dark colour of the floodwaters, coupled with the offensive odour they emitted, clearly indicated that sewage management remains a serious challenge in Maiduguri. In many neighbourhoods, household sewage is discharged outside residential compounds, a practice that is neither hygienic nor safe.

The discharge of sewage into drainage channels must be prohibited because it creates conditions that can encourage the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera and other public health hazards. Proper waste disposal should become a civic responsibility for every resident, irrespective of the season. Public enlightenment campaigns should be conducted in local languages rather than English to ensure that the message reaches every segment of society. Residents must understand that dumping refuse into floodwaters during rainfall only leads to blocked drainage channels and worsens flooding elsewhere in the city.

In addition, new waste disposal sites should be developed in collaboration with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to ensure proper environmental planning and long-term sustainability. There are indeed many issues that require urgent attention, Your Excellency. However, without belabouring the point, I will continue to keep my binoculars focused on developments within the environmental sector and remain hopeful that the necessary reforms will be implemented for the benefit of the people of Maiduguri.

Yours sincerely, Bodunrin.