The Managing Director of the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Mr. Aliyu Abdulhameed, yesterday blamed poor railway infrastructure for the recent flood in Mokwa, Niger State, leading to the loss of lives and destruction of farmlands.

He disclosed this before the House of Representatives Committee on Hydrological Services and the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC), led Hon. Paschal Agbodike.

According to him, the tragedy was not caused by the release of water from the Kainji or Jebba dams, as widely speculated. He added: “What happened in Mokwa, in particular, was caused majorly by the railway in the area.

“That was the only reason that made it happen. There is a railway embankment, up to about four metres high, that was actually stopping the water from draining into the River Niger. “That was the major reason, it had nothing to do with Kainji Dam, it had nothing to do with Jebba Dam. Both are downstream.”

He explained that the railway line, believed to have been renovated between 2018 and 2019, initially had drainage systems running through it to allow water to flow freely into the river.