Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has said the people of the state have remained thankful to God despite years of hardship and recurring disasters.
“It has been difficult, but Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. We have faced economic hardship, disasters of different kinds, and even flooding,” Zulum told the BBC Hausa Service in an interview to mark one year since Maiduguri was ravaged by a deadly flood.
The disaster, which struck in 2024 after the Alau dam burst, displaced thousands of residents in the state capital and left several people dead.
Speaking in the interview, the governor explained that his administration had taken steps to avert a recurrence.
According to him, the government embarked on the expansion and dredging of the Alau dam as part of preventive measures.
Borno was among the states recently listed by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency as being at risk of flooding in the 2025 rainy season.
The state has also spent more than 15 years at the heart of the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed thousands and forced millions of residents from their homes.