US embassy cable - 03ABUJA1575

UNCLAS ABUJA 001575 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, NI 
SUBJECT: WEEKEND DISASTERS RESULT IN DEATH AND DISPLACEMENT 
 
 
REF: OPCENTER TELCON 9/9/03 
 
 
1. Two major vehicle accidents with several fatalities 
occurred on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads over the 
weekend.  In Bauchi State, a bus flipped off the highway 
killing 23 of its 24 passengers on September 6.  Then on 
September 7, a four-vehicle pileup south of Abuja including 
more than one intercity bus resulted in at least 70 deaths, 
possibly as many as 100.  Accidents of this nature occur 
almost weekly somewhere in the country, as overloaded and 
poorly maintained vehicles drive at often excessive speeds 
over bad roads with numerous potholes, poor lighting, and 
occasional flooding. 
 
 
2. Recent heavy downpours in northern Nigeria over the past 
two weeks have caused extensive flooding, and local and 
international media have reported tens of thousands of 
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).  The flooding is 
concentrated along the Kaduna River which flows through 
several states in north-central Nigeria.  As the rains 
continue, the number of IDPs grows.  Continued flooding 
September 7 resulted in several hundred homeless in Kano 
State and possibly several thousand in Kaduna State.  All 
affected state governments have responded with varying 
measures to assist the populace and have also called on 
Nigeria's Federal Government to assist. 
MEECE