Maiduguri (also called Yerwa) is a sprawling city rich in history, culture and commerce. As the capital of the old Kanem-Bornu Empire its fame and influence extended to the modern republics of Chad, Cameroon and Niger. Its commercial tentacles also extend beyond these countries into as far as Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo. By most accounts the city is the second largest after Kano in the northern part of the country in terms of size, population and commercial activities.
At the time of writing this piece, about half the city of Maiduguri lies in ruins. It has been laid low not by the bombing raids of Boko Haram which had been terrorizing the city for over two decades now without success. No, the city was devastated by massive floods of scriptural proportions; only that this time there was no time to prepare an Ark. And the flood was not due to massive rainfall which happens at this time of the year. The flood was due largely to the collapse of the Aula…