Maiduguri flood
Floods render 3m children out of school in Borno
At least three million children in Borno State are pushed out of school almost indefinitely because of the devastating floods in state, worst in over 30 years.
The Save the Children, a non-for-profit organusation, said the crisis has heightened concerns about child marriage, child labour, and other protection risks as displaced families struggle to cope with the aftermath.
The catastrophic floods, which submerged large parts of Maiduguri, have displaced over 400,000 people, forcing tens of thousands of children into overcrowded displacement camps and school buildings that were spared from the destruction.
Without access to clean water and sanitation, the state is now facing outbreaks of cholera and diarrhoea among an already vulnerable population, exacerbated by high rates of malnutrition.
Save the Children warned that malnutrition rates, already affecting 60% of children under five last year, are expected to soar as floodwaters have destroyed vast stretches of farmland.
The combination of food shortages and unsanitary living conditions threatens to further devastate communities.
“This is a crisis upon a crisis,” said Duncan Harvey, Country Director of Save the Children in Nigeria.
“In an area where climate change was already affecting food and water availability, the floods have pushed children and their families into an even more precarious situation.
“What I witnessed in Maiduguri shocked me. Hundreds of thousands of children are living in dire conditions, terrified, and with little to no access to basic necessities,” he added.
The floods, triggered by the breach of the Alau Dam, have compounded the state’s existing struggles with desertification and the impacts of ongoing armed conflict.
Families that had already been displaced multiple times due to violence now find themselves homeless once again, with no immediate prospect of recovery.
Studies indicate that creeping desertification in Borno, caused by the climate crisis, has worsened the flood risk during heavy rains, leaving communities particularly vulnerable.
One of the most alarming consequences of the floods is the growing number of children who have been separated from their families.
Dozens of children have appeared in displacement camps without parents or guardians, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Humanitarian efforts are underway to reunite these children with their families, but the overwhelming needs in the region have stretched resources thin.
“I have worked in humanitarian aid for over 20 years, and still, what I saw in Maiduguri shocked me to my core,” Harvey added.
“We need urgent support from both the Borno State Government and the international community to provide lifesaving aid and reunite children with their families,” he further stated.
Children like 14-year-old Ibrahim from Borno State are calling for immediate global climate action.
“Climate change is real and affects every single part of our lives. We need world leaders to prioritize climate action because we don’t have another planet,” Ibrahim said.