The flood of July 27, 2025 in Yola, capital of Adamawa State has generated such enduring goodwill that up to the start of the weekend, nearly three weeks after, people of goodwill were still pouring help of varied kinds on the victims.
Governments, government officials and people to do with government, non-government organisations, communities and individuals appear to have been competing to identify with those affected by the flood.
The attention the incident attracted to Yola and the flood victims has made the destructive flood almost glamorous.
The flood was most destructive in communities in Yola South Local Government Area, but the whole of Yola stands still when ‘big’ visitors have come calling, such as last week when First Lady and National Chairman of Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), Senator Oluremi Tinubu, came around.
Days to her planned arrival, it was palpable that Her Excellency was expected in town, a rare occurrence, all due to the Yola flood.
The First Lady did not personally make it to Yola, but wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima brought for the flood victims the N500 million which the First Lady mobilised through the RHI of which Nana Shettima is national vice chairman.
Performing the symbolic distribution of the money at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Yola, Nana Shettima also announced the donation of 100 bales of ankara fabrics as well as some other relief items to the flood victims, explaining that the donations were made possible by donors to the RHI, including a charity organisation, Abdulsamad Rabiu Africa.
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Speaking for his people, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State thanked the First Lady for intervening in this time of need of the state.
Fintiri’s deputy, Professor Kaletapwa Farauta who welcomed the First Lady’s delegation to the state, spoke of the government’s own efforts at making the aftermath of the flood bearable.
“As a government, we have done a lot to provide relief,” she said, thanking the First Lady for mobilising the relief intervention at the time of need.
Apart from the First Lady, among the many individuals and entities that have identified with Adamawa State over the Yola flood have been the North East Development Commission (NEDC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha; the Bayelsa State Government, BUA Group of Companies, among others.
Quite a good number of the Yola flood victims have been profuse in their appreciation of the gesture of goodwill and massive assistance extended to them.
They thank the Adamawa State Government in particular for its handling of the distribution of the relief items that the government and other sources mobilised.
One Mariatu Suberu said enough food stuff had been handed to her to last her one full year, adding that the non-food items, including clothes, would remain in use for her in the next five to seven years.
To her and a good number of the Yola flood victims, the flood was a blessing in disguise.
“My appology to those who lost what they couldn’t get back, including those whose relations died, but I have got much more from this disaster than I lost,” a father of four, Julde Simon who actually lost some valuables, confessed.
“We are being treated with special attention and with more palliative items than many of us ever expected,” he added.
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri had been proactive following the July 27 flood by constituting a 21-member committee principally to handle relief efforts.
The committee, chaired by Deputy Governor Kaletapwa Farauta with the SSG Awwal Tukur as Secretary, had member representing Yola South constituency in the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Mijinyawa as member, among other members
Urging the committee to identify measures to bring succor to the affected communities and develop strategies for post-flood recovery, Fintiri had reassured Adamawa people, “We are committed to providing relief to affected communities and to working towards sustainable solutions to mitigate future disasters.”
The flood in Yola had happened while people were sleeping, forcing victims who were caught unawares to scamper out of their homes for safety.
A mother narrated her story: “I went inside to catch some sleep, but suddenly, I heard my baby crying, and I reluctantly woke up to breastfeed her, only for me to discover that she was on top of water that had collected inside our bedroom.”
Members of another family were similarly sleeping only to wake up to find themselves inside water in their very aboard.
Head of the family, identified as John Audu, recalled, “The water came so fast, we couldn’t take anything. The only next thing was how to escape. It was difficult because we all woke up from deep sleep.”
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was not in town that fateful morning when the flood struck, so the Deputy Governor was the first government official to rush to the flood scenes and to mobilize rescue operations.
Kaletapwa Farauta quickly identified a camp at a secondary school for victims and initiated relief efforts.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families who have been affected by this disaster. We acknowledge the plight of those who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods,” she told the victims.
Fintiri himself has had occasion to thank Nigerians for the way they reached out to Adamawa people over the Yola flood.
“We appreciate the support of individuals, organizations, and agencies that have contributed to the relief efforts and urge everyone to continue working together to rebuild and recover from this disaster,” he said.
