Over the past fortnight, the people of Mokwa and surrounding settlements in Niger State have been engulfed in grief and misery after the flood disaster that descended on them on May 28, 2025, just as Nigerians prepared to mark the second anniversary of the current administration.

The flood, which cut right through the agrarian community adjacent to the River Niger, brought down homes, washed away roads and bridges and rendered over 5,000 homeless. Between 150 and 200 were officially reported as the death toll, though over 500 more indigenes remain unaccounted for amidst a suffocating stench and daily recovery of bodies by emergency responders.

Reports have it that 265 houses were destroyed, with 3,000 others badly affected. In Nigeria, urban planning is not taken seriously. Due to the absence of disaster shelters, the displaced persons were camped in schools which had no water and toilet facilities.

Nigerians viewed the response of the Federal Government to this tragedy with mixed emotions. President Bola Tinubu went on his “X” handle to drop his condolence message. He activated federal emergency responders led by the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Zubaida Umar, which swung into action.

The President came under the fire of some critics and activists when another Federal Government delegation consisting of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris and his Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation colleague, Nentawe Yilwadta, shunned the disaster scene and instead went to the Niger State Government House to deliver the President’s condolence message.

Perhaps in response to the criticisms, Tinubu finally despatched Vice President Kashim Shettima to Mokwa, where a N2bn rebuild package of the destroyed community was announced to the applause of the indigenes. Shettima also promised to instruct the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, to light up Mokwa. The washed-out bridge linking the North with the South was also to be immediately rebuilt because of its economic importance.

Taken at a glance, Tinubu can be given a pass mark for his response to this tragedy. However, the initial hesitation of leadership to put in presence at the disaster scene did not go unnoticed. This became more obvious, compared to the response to the Alau Dam burst in Maiduguri in September last year. VP Shettima, an indigene of the city, rushed there and was seen wading through the floods. Tinubu himself later showed up and even visited the disaster victims in their makeshift camp.

Leaders visiting disaster scenes and commiserating with victims is not only a show of empathy, it is also an act of leading from the front. A good leader must be willing and ready to take the sweet, sour and bitter aspects of leadership. He can’t pick the sweet and send delegations to face the sour and bitter.

Leadership is not a buffet.