As rainy season intensifies in Nigeria, government agencies are racing to shore up flood defences and early-warning systems, with hydrologists warning that dozens of states remain at risk of significant flooding in the coming weeks.
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) has issued a string of advisories in recent weeks tracking the deteriorating situation.
In its latest forecast, the agency’s Director General and CEO, Umar Mohammed, warned of rising flood threat and called for collective preparedness by all stakeholders to safeguard lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure.
According to the advisory, a High Flood Risk has been identified across 27 states, following rising river levels that could trigger significant riverine flooding vulnerable communities.
The agency said 53 key river monitoring stations are currently at risk, with critical locations including Katsina Ala on the Katsina Ala River, Itoikin on the Aye River, and Onitsha on the River Niger under close observation.
States expected to experience significant impacts include Niger, Kaduna, Kwara, Delta, Kogi and Edo, among 21 others.
The high-risk alert follows an earlier Medium Flood Risk advisory covering 17 states in July 2026, which flagged imminent localised flooding along key river channels and floodplains.
That advisory noted that river stages at critical monitoring stations, including Saminara on the Karam River, Waya Dam Site on the Waya River, and Amber on the Amber River, had exceeded watch and warning thresholds, with 16 gauging stations showing elevated levels.
The exposure data released alongside that advisory illustrated the scale of the potential impact. Bauchi State alone had 1,841 communities, 145 schools, 101 health facilities and 8 markets in flood-prone areas.
Imo State recorded 415 communities, 423 schools, 198 health facilities, 49 markets, 111 religious centres and 75 hectares of farmland at risk. Plateau, Edo, Kaduna and Benue states also reported significant numbers of exposed communities and facilities.
In both advisories, NiHSA urged state governments, local government authorities, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agencies, traditional institutions and community leaders to activate emergency preparedness and response measures without delay.
Recommended actions included evacuating residents, livestock and valuables from floodplains to designated shelters, pre-positioning medical and food supplies, mobilising community early-warning volunteers, and clearing drainage channels. Citizens were warned against attempting to cross flooded roads or fast-flowing rivers.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MOVES ON FUNDING
The scale of the threat has prompted the Federal Government to loosen its purse strings. The National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, approved the release of N83.2 billion from the Anticipatory Action Trust Fund on 18 June to strengthen flood prevention efforts nationwide, in what officials described as a shift from reactive disaster management to proactive risk mitigation.
Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, while speaking on the fund, disclosed that the initial funding proposal had exceeded N166 billion before the council settled on the N83.2 billion approved for immediate intervention. The fund was intended to support early warning systems, emergency preparedness programmes and mitigation measures ahead of seasonal flooding.
Addressing council members, Vice President Shettima stressed that government reforms must translate into measurable benefits, particularly for farmers and vulnerable communities, and argued that Nigeria’s continued reliance on exporting raw materials while importing finished goods limits economic growth.
He also emphasised the importance of transport infrastructure in getting agricultural produce to markets.
LAGOS ASSESSMENT UNDERSCORES URBAN FLOODING RISKS
Beyond the river basins, urban flooding has also drawn federal attention. The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, led an assessment visit to flood-prone communities and water infrastructure across Lagos State, describing the visit as part of a nationwide evaluation of water resources, sanitation and flood-related challenges spanning all 36 states and the FCT.
Utsev, commended the Lagos State Government, NiHSA and the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority for proactive flood mitigation measures, singling out the Ilubirin Mechanical Pumping Station, which channels excess floodwater into the lagoon, as a model worth replicating elsewhere.
He also flagged indiscriminate waste disposal into drainage channels as a major driver of urban flooding and appealed to residents to protect drainage infrastructure.
NiHSA’s boss, Umar Mohammed, who joined the tour, said the agency’s 2026 Annual Flood Outlook had projected above-normal rainfall across much of the country, requiring sustained vigilance and continuous early-warning dissemination.
Lagos State’s Special Adviser on Environment, Engr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, said the state had already issued several early warning advisories using forecasts from NiMet and the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, and had sensitised residents in vulnerable communities through both conventional and digital media.
A resident of Ilo-Awela in Alimosho Local Government Area, Mr Lawal Sunday, welcomed past erosion-control interventions but appealed for faster construction of a proposed bridge serving his community, saying it would ease hardship and improve residents’ quality of life.
A TEST OF COORDINATION
Taken together, the advisories, the new funding and the Lagos visit point to a season in which Nigeria’s flood response will hinge less on the availability of warnings -which have come thick and fast- than on how quickly state and local authorities translate them into evacuations, drainage maintenance and shelter provision on the ground.
With 27 states now under high flood risk and above-normal rainfall projected through the season, officials say the coming weeks will be a critical test of whether the newly approved funding and years of advisories can finally shift the country from reacting to floods to preventing their worst effects.
