Cause of the floods
By: David Hundeyin In 1977, the Cameroonian government made a rational decision. Observing the absence of adequate water resources to support growing agricultural pressure in northern Cameroon, the government of Ahmadou Ahidjo decided to build a dam on the Benue River which would supply hydropower to the region and allow for the irrigation of 15,000 hectares of farmland. The dam was completed in 1982, which was the same year that a certain Paul Biya succeeded Ahidjo as Cameroon’s head of state. It was projected that the dam would have a downstream effect on Nigeria, so both countries reached an agreement after discussions. According to the agreement signed in 1977, a shock absorber dam called the Dasin Hausa Dam would be constructed in modern-day Adamawa State. In addition to preventing flooding, this massive dam was also meant to add 300 MW of hydropower to the national grid and irrigate roughly 150,000 hectares of farmland in Adamawa, Benue and Taraba. Depending on who is telli...
