With over 1,200 communities at risk, the Federal Government has kickstarted a nationwide flood awareness campaign targeting 30 States and the FCT ahead of the 2025 rainy season.
The move follows a stark warning from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), which identified 1,249 communities across 176 LGAs as high-risk flood zones in its 2025 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), presented by Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, in Abuja.
States listed in the high-risk category includes: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, the FCT, Gombe, and Imo.
Other states with moderate risk include: Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
The sensitisation campaign, beginning in May, is being spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Environment and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to improve disaster response and community awareness.
Deputy Director of Flood, Erosion Control, and Coastal Management Mr. Kunle Awojemila, said the FCT campaign will start in Dutse, then move to Lokogoma, Lugbe, and others.
Zubaida Umar, Director General of NEMA, through Ekiti Operations Head Dr. Kofoworola Soleye, stressed the importance of grassroots readiness, warning that previous floods had resulted in loss of lives and destruction of properties worth millions of naira.
Despite ongoing response strategies, authorities say many communities remain vulnerable due to lack of basic knowledge on flood preparedness.
