Jalingo Floods Despite Taraba Receiving N2.2bn Ecological Fund in 2025

Jalingo woke up to flooding on Saturday. Parts of the Taraba State capital went under water after hours of heavy rainfall, with homes, shops, schools, and a market all hit. The twist: Taraba State received over ₦2.2 billion in ecological funds in 2025 alone — and Jalingo Local Government Area got ₦84.9 million of that — yet the city has no flood resilience to show for it.

The downpour began around 2:30 a.m. and lasted until late morning, according to reports. Low-lying communities including Mile Six, Mafindi, and Mayogwai bore the brunt, while floodwaters swamped the Jalingo Main Market. Movement along the Jalingo–Wukari road was cut off after floodwaters washed away a temporary bridge near the already collapsed Namnai Bridge, leaving travellers stranded on both sides of River Namnai.

The money that was supposed to fix this

Data from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation shows exactly what Taraba State received from Nigeria’s Ecological Fund in 2025: ₦2,218,778,435.40. The allocations ran throughout the year, climbing from ₦123.5 million in January to ₦232 million by December.

Nationwide, the Federal Government disbursed more than ₦109.5 billion from the Ecological Fund between July 2023 and December 2025. Yet Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Joseph Utsev had already flagged, in an earlier warning, that more than 14,000 communities across 33 states and the FCT face high flood risk in 2026, with peak exposure expected from April through November.

Residents of Jalingo blamed blocked drainage systems and indiscriminate waste disposal for making things worse. Boats were deployed to ferry stranded passengers on Saturday.

A pattern repeating itself

This is not a surprise event. The rainy season was forecast, the risk was documented, and the funds were disbursed. What was missing was the work those funds were supposed to fund. Whether the money went into drainage, embankments, or something else entirely is a question Taraba State officials will likely face in the days ahead.

For the residents of Mile Six and Mafindi, those are bureaucratic questions. On Saturday morning, they were salvaging what they could before the water rose further.

Sources: Daily Trust, NatureNews Africa