The Nigerian authorities has issued a warning that roughly 1,249 communities throughout 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are at excessive danger of flooding this yr, because the wet season intensifies in some components of the nation.
The warning comes as many Nigerians are nonetheless recovering from final yr’s devastating flood disasters.
Joseph Utsev, the Minister of Water Assets and Sanitation, made reference to the upcoming flooding dangers in the course of the 2025 flood outlook presentation by the Nigeria Hydrological Companies Company (NIHSA) on Thursday in Abuja.
“Flooding is among the worst pure disasters we face in Nigeria, and local weather change has solely made it worse,” Utsev stated.
In accordance with NIHSA, 2,187 communities throughout 293 native authorities areas (LGAs) are at average flood danger, with key states similar to Abia, Benue, Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Jigawa anticipated to be among the many hardest hit.
The minister additional disclosed that 1,249 communities in 176 LGAs throughout the 30 states and the FCT fall beneath the high-risk flood zones for this yr. Moreover, 2,187 communities in 293 LGAs face average flood dangers.
“As a part of this yr’s Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), NIHSA has adopted a brand new and efficient method to flood forecasting. This can be certain that vital danger data is clearly understood and actionable for susceptible communities,” Utsev defined.
Utsev additionally introduced a number of authorities initiatives aimed toward addressing the impression of flooding, together with the Nationwide Flood Insurance coverage Programme (NFIP), which seeks to guard susceptible households, farmlands, and livestock. Kogi and Jigawa states are the pilot areas for the programme.
Nigeria has been grappling with perennial flooding disasters, which have been worsened by local weather change lately. A whole bunch of lives have been misplaced, properties and farms destroyed, and companies crippled.