By joshua 
NEWMAP Pledges Support for Ganaja Flood Resilience as CPI Leads Advocacy Push
The Kogi State Project Coordinator of the Nigeria Climate Adaptation, Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP), Dr. Yahaya Abdullahi Abbas, has described Ganaja Community in Ajaokuta LGA as a priority for the state government and reaffirmed NEWMAP’s commitment to a rewarding partnership aimed at strengthening flood resilience.
Dr. Abbas made the pledge on Friday when he received a delegation from the Challenge Parenthood Initiative (CPI) and representatives of Ganaja Community at his office in Lokoja. The visit was part of intensified advocacy to advance the Ganaja Charter of Demand and Flood Resilience Action Plan.
Describing Ganaja’s location as strategic to the state, the project coordinator said NEWMAP would collaborate with the community to address the annual flooding that has disrupted lives and livelihoods for years.
As immediate support, he announced that the agency would provide life jackets to residents and boat operators in the area. He also assured that work on the Nyanmayama road, which connects through the 500 Housing Unit estate, would receive more attention before the end of the year to serve as an alternative route whenever flooding cuts off access.
On the request for additional boreholes in vulnerable parts of Ganaja, Dr. Abbas said NEWMAP would conduct a technical assessment to determine feasibility and priority locations. He added that the agency was ready to work with organized community groups and would review the list of water infrastructure needs submitted by the advocacy team for prompt action.
He urged the community to engage relevant state agencies on issues concerning the IDP camp and primary healthcare centre, which were also highlighted in their demands.
Earlier, CPI Executive Director Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, speaking on behalf of partners Heinrich Böll Stiftung and Arctic Infrastructure, said the advocacy was necessary to secure NEWMAP’s support in building a flood-resistant Ganaja.
She noted that the community suffers annual flooding that causes extensive socio-economic damage, displacing families, destroying farmlands, and crippling public services.
The delegation listed key demands: rehabilitation of Nyanmayama road; provision of safe drinking water to reduce risks faced by women and children during floods; rehabilitation of the IDP camp to restore education; dredging of the River Niger; and reconstruction of the primary healthcare centre destroyed by previous floods.
Three working groups from the Ganaja Advocacy Working Group presented their demands and acknowledged NEWMAP’s promised interventions while requesting additional water facilities for other vulnerable areas within the community.
The advocacy visit is based on the Ganaja Charter of Demand, developed after months of consultations, technical assessments, and stakeholder workshops between 2024 and 2025. The charter gives residents a unified platform to shape recovery and resilience strategies after repeated floods devastated homes and infrastructure along the Niger-Benue confluence.
Ganaja, a low-lying community in Lokoja LGA, remains one of the worst-hit areas during Nigeria’s annual flood season. CPI’s partnership with Heinrich Böll Stiftung and Arctic Infrastructure focuses on bridging the gap between affected communities and government agencies through evidence-based advocacy.
“This visit is timely and fruitful,” said the heads of the Ganaja Advocacy Working Groups for road, water, and healthcare. “It opens a new chapter of collaboration between our community and NEWMAP. We are optimistic that our demands will translate into concrete action.”