By Abbas Nazil
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has raised an alarm over the growing threat of flood disasters in Nigeria, revealing that 12 states and 43 Local Government Areas (LGAs) have been identified as high-risk zones for 2025.
This development follows a devastating 2024 flood season that affected more than 5.2 million people across 35 states, claiming 1,237 lives and displacing over 1.2 million individuals.
Speaking in Abuja during an inception meeting between NEMA and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), NEMA’s Director-General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, stressed the urgent need to strengthen Nigeria’s flood disaster management systems.
Represented by the Assistant Director of Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Simon Katu, she detailed the extensive damage caused by the 2024 floods, including the destruction of 116,172 homes and 1,439,296 hectares of farmland in 401 LGAs.
Critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and healthcare facilities were also swept away, leading to widespread disruption of livelihoods.
The floods were attributed to a combination of climate change, poor urban drainage systems, and increasing population pressure, all of which have intensified the vulnerability of Nigerian communities, particularly those in riverine and low-lying areas.
Katu emphasized that the flooding in 2024 and early 2025 was not only extensive but also highly destructive, prompting urgent calls for enhanced preparedness and response strategies.
Highlighting the importance of proactive measures, Mrs. Umar announced the initiation of a national preparedness and response campaign.
She stated that while 24 states were covered last year, this year’s campaign reached vulnerable communities in every state across the federation to raise awareness and build resilience.
She also disclosed that simulation exercises will be carried out in Anambra and Kano states to strengthen emergency response capabilities.
As part of the collaborative effort, JICA’s Project Formulation Advisor, Mr. Keisuke Matsushita, expressed readiness to partner with Nigeria to improve its disaster management capacity.
He proposed the formation of a technical committee to explore opportunities for training programs in Japan, pending approval from the Japanese government.
Matsushita reiterated JICA’s commitment to long-term support and called for quicker, more efficient emergency responses.
In response, Mrs. Umar inaugurated a five-member technical committee led by Mr. Idris Abubakar Mohammed, NEMA’s Director of Disaster Risk Reduction.
The committee has been tasked with coordinating directly with JICA to develop a comprehensive training and capacity-building framework.
Umar urged the team to begin work early in the following week to ensure prompt execution of their mandate, signaling Nigeria’s commitment to preventing a repeat of the 2024 flood disaster.
