Akwa Ibom, Jigawa, Katsina Among States Listed in FG’s Imminent Flood Alert
The Federal Ministry of Environment has issued an alert on likely flooding in eleven Nigerian states between July 16 and 20, warning residents and local authorities to take urgent precautions.
The warning, released on Wednesday, came from Usman Bokani, director of the National Flood Early Warning Centre under the environment ministry. He said locations expected to be affected include parts of Adamawa (Mubi); Akwa Ibom (Edor, Upenekang, Oron, Eket); Borno (Ngala, Maiduguri); Bauchi (Azare, Bauchi, Itas, Jama’are, Kafin-Madaki, Jama’a, Kari, Misau); and Cross River (Calabar, Akpap).
Others are Jigawa (Miga, Gwaram, Diginsa, Ringim, Dutse); Katsina (Daura); Kano (Kunchi, Kano, Gezawa, Wudil, Bebeji, Sumaila, Tudun Wada); Plateau (Jos, Bukuru, Mangu); Yobe (Jakusko, Machina, Dapchi) and Zamfara (Bungudu, Gusau).
Bokani urged governments and stakeholders in the affected states to act swiftly to prevent avoidable loss of life and damage. “State governments and relevant stakeholders [should] take precautionary measures to reduce the impact of potential floods on lives and property,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) had identified 30 states and the FCT as high-risk flood zones, with 2,187 communities across 293 local government areas falling within moderate risk zones.
Flooding in 2024 led to 321 deaths, impacted over 1.37 million people, and displaced more than 740,000 across the country.
