Ahead of the rainy season, states have commenced measures to arrest the flooding expected to inundate no fewer than 1,249 communities in 176 local governments across 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The measures include public enlightenment campaigns, dredging water channels, and relocating communities on river banks and floodplains.
On Thursday, the Federal Government announced that the states would witness heavy flooding between April and November.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof Joseph Utsev, disclosed this at the unveiling of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency in Abuja.
Utsav identified the high flood-risk states as Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo and Jigawa.
Others are Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and the FCT.
The minister raised concerns that flooding remains one of the devastating natural disasters in Nigeria, with climate change accelerating its frequency and severity.
He also predicted that coastal and riverine areas such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers and Ondo would experience flooding due to the rise in sea level and tidal surge, and this would impact fishing, wildlife habitation and river navigation.
“The 2025 Annual Flood Outlook shows that 1,249 communities in 176 Local Government Areas in 30 States and FCT fall within the High Flood Risk Areas, while 2,187 communities in 293 LGAs in 36 states of the federation and the FCT fall within the Moderate Flood Risk Areas.
“Flash and urban flooding are projected in major cities in the country due to high rainfall intensities, low attention to the management of water facilities, including drainage systems, waterways and a lack of flood resilience structures.
“Nevertheless, the flood, unlike other natural disasters, can be contained with proper planning and provision of necessary infrastructure. Rather than just general predictions, forecasts are now tailored to specific communities, enhancing actionable communication and preparedness at the grassroots level,” he stated.
Earlier in his address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, Richard Pheelangwah, urged stakeholders to prioritise early response.
He said, “This outlook isn’t just about numbers, it’s about protecting lives and livelihoods.”
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NIHSA, Umar Mohammed, noted that this year’s flood forecast goes beyond mapping LGAs and now identifies specific communities at risk.
In Ogun, the state Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said the government is engaging the 20 local governments to domesticate the flood alert it issued about two weeks ago based on the NiMET prediction on flooding for the year 2025.
The commissioner stated, “We have issued our flood alert some weeks back, and we are also domesticating this with our local governments. We have told them to tell their people to clean their drainage and not obstruct the waterways for any reason.
“The state government is also clearing its waterways, we are dredging the downstream section of Ogun River to increase its carrying capacity. We are equally opening up more tributaries.
“We are also in touch with the management of Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority for the effective management of water release, especially during the river and coastal flooding which happens between September and October.
“Some communities across the state that are prone to flooding have also been told to either elevate or evacuate to a safer place before the September/October coastal and river flood.”
The Spokesperson for the Gombe State Ministry of Water Environment and Forest Resources, Amos Fabulous, highlighted the preventive measures taken ahead of the rains.
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