Following a warning from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that 132 local government areas across 23 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), are at high risk of flooding this year, states are stepping up efforts to stem the tide and avoid the ugly experience of the past. ATTAH ANTHONY, ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, ANGELA NKWO-AKPOLU, KABIR WURMA, ACHOR ABIMAJE, EMMANUEL MGBEAHURIKE, FELIX IGBEKOYI, INIOBONG EKPONTA, IBRAHIM OBANSA, NONYE EKWENUGO, and AZA MSUE, report
States across the federation have begun rolling out preventive measures and emergency response plans to mitigate the impact of the flooding predicted for this year’s rainy season.
This follows a warning by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) that 132 local government areas in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are at high risk of flooding in 2026, while another 148 local government areas across 14 states fall within the moderate-risk category.
The warning, based on projections from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), has prompted state governments and emergency management agencies to intensify sensitisation campaigns, clear drainage channels, establish emergency response teams, identify temporary shelters, and strengthen early warning systems.
Launching the 2026 National Preparedness and Response Campaign on Flood Disaster in Jalingo, Taraba State, NEMA director-general, Hajiya Zubaida Umar, said recurrent flooding continues to claim lives, destroy livelihoods and critical infrastructure, and displace thousands of Nigerians annually.
Represented by the agency’s North-East Zonal Director, Alhaji Sulaiman Yakubu, Umar said forecasts also indicate delayed and erratic rainfall patterns, shorter growing seasons, prolonged dry spells, and rising temperatures, all of which could impact agriculture, transportation, healthcare, and other critical sectors.
To mitigate the anticipated impact, she said NEMA had developed a Climate-Related Risk Management, Preparedness, and Mitigation Framework focused on strengthening local emergency response capacity, conducting simulation exercises, pre-positioning relief materials, and developing evacuation plans for vulnerable communities.
In response, states say they have begun implementing a variety of flood-control and preparedness strategies.
We’re Conducting Full-Scale Flood Stimulation Exercise – Rivers
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said it is advancing its 2026 Flood Preparedness and Response Strategy through a full-scale flood simulation exercise in Rivers State.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, the director of the NEMA South-South Zonal Directorate, Dr Godwin Tepiko, said the concern followed a forecast by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMeT).
Tepiko stated that the exercise was aimed at sensitising communities at risk of flooding and strengthening coordinated response mechanisms in the state.
He said NEMA was concerned over the imminent risk of flooding across Rivers State following the onset of the rainy season and the likely resultant flooding.
Tepiko stated that the NIMet forecast predicted severe flooding in four local government areas of Rivers State, including Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro.
“The devastating impacts of annual flooding in Nigeria necessitate collaboration among all tiers of government, development partners, the private sector, the media and citizens to manage disaster risks and build national resilience.”
“Lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure worth billions of naira have been lost to floods and related hazards in recent years,” he said.
He added that the agency has put in place all the machinery to prevent devastating floods this year and urged residents of the zone to avoid dumping refuse in gutters and water channels in their areas.
Mechanism already put in place, says Imo
