Kogi Spends N172Million On Celebrations In 2025 First Quarter, Zero On Flood Control Despite Rising Risks

A SaharaReporters review of the Kogi State budget performance document for the first quarter of 2025 has revealed that the state government spent N172 million on "celebrations/remembrance day" between January and March.

In contrast, no funds were spent on erosion and flood control during the same period, despite a budgetary allocation of N1.15 billion for that purpose in the 2025 fiscal year.

Kogi State has a troubling history of underfunding erosion and flood control efforts. In the 2024 fiscal year, the state allocated only N29.8 million for the critical sector. Even worse, in 2023, just N1.927 million was spent.

The failure to prioritise flood management comes despite multiple warnings. Earlier in April, the Nigerian government warned that 1,249 communities across 176 local government areas in 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) could experience severe flooding between April and November 2025.

The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, issued the warning during the unveiling of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) in Abuja.

The report listed Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, and Jigawa as high flood-risk states.

Others include Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and the FCT.

In October 2024, the Kogi State Government reported that devastating floods submerged over 200 communities and displaced more than two million people across the state.

The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this at Kotonkarfe in Kogi Local Government Area, warning that a major "humanitarian crisis was brewing" due to the widespread flooding.

He revealed that nine local government areas — Kogi, Lokoja, Adavi, Ofu, Ajaokuta, Idah, Ibaji, Igalamela, and Omalla — were affected.

Despite the scale of the disaster, concerns persist over the utilisation of ecological funds by states across the country. Ecological funds, designed to address environmental challenges like erosion and flooding, have often been poorly spent, with Kogi State cited as one of the culprits.

An earlier SaharaReporters review of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) data showed that between December 2023 and November 2024, state and local governments received a combined total of N96 billion as ecological funds. 

The monthly disbursements to states and local governments during this period ranged between N3 billion and N5 billion, according to figures published by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

Despite receiving these funds, many states, including Kogi, have failed to adequately invest in erosion and flood control measures, leaving vulnerable communities at continued risk of devastating floods.