The Federal Government has issued a warning of significant rainfall and potential flooding in 30 states across Nigeria, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. This prediction was made by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, during the unveiling of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) in Abuja, okaynews.com reports.
According to the AFO, the states identified as being at high risk of flooding include Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara, in addition to the FCT.
Minister Utsev also highlighted the likelihood of coastal and riverine flooding in parts of the South-South region due to rising sea levels. He emphasized that flooding remains a major natural disaster in Nigeria, exacerbated by the increasing frequency and intensity brought about by climate change.
The 2025 AFO indicates that 1,249 communities within 176 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the aforementioned 30 states and the FCT are in high-risk flood zones. An additional 2,187 communities across 293 LGAs are classified as facing moderate flood risks, with key high-risk areas including states like Abia, Benue, Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Jigawa.
A significant development in this year’s AFO is the introduction of a community-based flood forecasting approach. This new method aims to provide more specific forecasts tailored to individual communities, improving early warning systems and enabling more effective preparedness and response at the local level.
