WATER BODIES IN NORTHWESTERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF BAKOLORI DAM ON ZAMFARA STATE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY, SINCE 1975.

Abstract

The main focus of this paper is to make an examination of the water bodies in northwestern Nigeria: A study of Bakolori Dam on Zamfara State economy and society since 1975. The year 1975 was a period when the construction of Bakolori Dam in Talata Mafara Local Government area of Zamfara State started. Using historical methodology, the paper argued that Bakolori Dam construction had brought about so many consequences to the target beneficiaries which according to evidences are the confluence of both positive and negative developments. However, the overall focus of this paper would be on the devastating impact on the people of the project area which include the unfortunate massacre of hundreds of innocent peasant farmers of the project area, loss of properties worth millions of naira belonging to the peasant farmers. The construction further displaced thousands of well-established farming families thereby rendering them landless and homeless. The dam project had resulted in the destruction of food and economic trees of the farmers without adequate payment of compensation. Other bitter experiences identified by the paper include forced migration of the displaced communities of the project area, loss of three-year cropping seasons, and the construction works had imposed serious hardship, hunger and uncertainty on the people of the project area in addition to adverse effect on their environment. Finally, the paper concluded that the Bakolori Dam was a catastrophe rather than blessing to the target beneficiaries.