After decades of delays and devastating consequences, Nigeria is finally taking decisive steps to expedite the long-overdue Construction of the Dasin Hausa Dam, an Infrastructure project deemed essential to preventing recurrent floods in the nation’s riverine villages. This project, which was originally developed in the 1980s as a strategic counterpart to Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam, is being revived under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The renewed urgency is a long-overdue lifeline for the millions of Nigerians who live in flood-prone areas.
The Dasin Hausa Dam, which is located along the Benue River basin, was designed to serve a dual purpose of a flood control mechanism for water released from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon and to generate hydroelectric power. When Cameroon built the Lagdo Dam in the early 1980s, a bilateral agreement was made for Nigeria to build the Dasin Hausa Dam as a buffer to absorb excess water discharge. Unfortunately, while Cameroon went ahead with its project, Nigeria’s counterpart dam was never completed. This failure has turned out to be disastrous over time.
Years of flooding force renewed focus on the dam.
Cameroon releases water from the Lagdo Dam every year during the rainy season, often without adequate notice, causing significant downstream flooding in Nigerian states, particularly in Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, and parts of Kogi. Massive floods in 2012, 2020, and 2022 displaced hundreds of thousands of people, destroyed homes and farmlands, and claimed the lives of hundreds of people. Most notably, the 2022 flooding alone impacted over 1.4 million people, submerged vast agricultural areas, and cost billions of Naira in lost infrastructure and crops.
These floods have not only disrupted livelihoods but have also posed serious Food Security threats and hampered Economic Growth in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions. Now, the Dasin Hausa Dam is now being prioritized by the government as a crucial infrastructure project with transformative potential under President Tinubu’s direction. Key stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, have gathered for a high-level conference organized by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to expedite plans for the dam’s construction.
Construction of the dam gains momentum with potential promises.
ICRC Director-General Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, who chaired the meeting, stressed that this project is a national emergency that requires immediate attention. According to Dr. Ewalefoh, the meeting’s objective was to analyze stakeholders’ commitments, determine technical and regulatory barriers to execution, and examine the implementation status of the previously signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). He upheld President Tinubu’s directive to explore innovative models, such as PPPs, to draw Private Sector funding for important infrastructure projects.
Dr. Ewalefoh expressed optimism that with President Tinubu’s strong support for infrastructure development, all procedures leading to the construction of the dam will now proceed more quickly. What makes this new push significant is the multifaceted value the Dasin Hausa Dam promises. Once completed, the dam is expected to generate over 300 megawatts of electricity, provide Irrigation for more than 150,000 hectares of farmland across three states, and improve water transportation networks. More importantly, it will mitigate the recurring destruction caused by floods, offering long-term relief to vulnerable communities.
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Already, a pre-feasibility study has been completed, and stakeholders are currently working to broaden its purview to include more technical and environmental areas. Project managers and engineers are confident that the dam’s construction schedule can be greatly accelerated with sustained political will. Engr. Zacheus Akinjogbin, who heads the PPP Unit at the Ministry of Water Resources, reassured stakeholders that the government is fully committed to seeing the project through. Likewise, Engr. Lamu Audu, Managing Director of Mainstream Energy Solutions, noted that several international financiers and development partners, including the World Bank, have expressed strong interest in funding the dam’s construction.