Key Points

• Canoe paddling demand continues to grow strongly with Maiduguri floods.

• Residents pay daily fares to maintain survival mobility across flooded neighborhoods.

• Flood-driven canoe paddling rapidly creates a fragile yet growing economy.

People know Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, more for the scars left by the insurgency than for business potential. But the heavy rains this year have changed areas of the city, flooding homes and highways and shutting off whole neighborhoods. Canoe paddling has become an unexpected economic niche as people deal with problems.

Young guys ferry passengers, food, and goods over once-busy intersections that are now like rivers. The demand has grown so much that paddlers, who used to only work on the edges of Lake Chad during certain times of the year, now work in the city every day. What started out as a need is now a lifeline for many people, making the economy around the floods weak but important.

Flooding fuels the need for canoe paddling

Heavy rains have had a worse effect because there are no working drainage systems. Many folks are still stuck in their homes and can’t leave without help. Paddlers take youngsters, market ladies, and even office professionals across flooded alleys for a price of 300 to 500 naira.

People who live there feel the service is both necessary and unfair. Musa Abubakar, a trader in the Gomari area, remarked, “We can’t go anywhere without the canoes.” “But the prices go up every day.” But for young men who are out of work, the paddling industry has become one of the only good possibilities in a city where jobs are hard to find.

Canoe paddlers make the economy weak

According to a report by the Punch news, there is also a huge rise in building and renting canoes. Local carpenters now make boats out of wood, and richer people rent out canoes for money. Some families buy their own to save money on their everyday commutes. This ripple effect has made canoe paddling more than a stopgap—it’s a budding economic chain.

But the growth is not stable. The business is tied directly to the flooding, which also brings destruction and displacement. Public health officials warn of the risk of waterborne diseases, while community leaders worry about worsening inequality as poor households bear the brunt of rising transport costs.

Flood economy exposes urban vulnerability

The rise of canoe paddling underscores Maiduguri’s deep infrastructural challenges. For decades, the city has lacked effective flood management systems. Each rainy season, the same cycle repeats: inundated streets, disrupted schooling, and broken livelihoods.

While paddlers may be cashing in, their new trade highlights how disasters are increasingly shaping the urban economy. For many residents, the sight of canoes gliding across flooded roads is both a symbol of resilience and a reminder of government failure.