The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned that five local government areas (LGAs) in Kwara state would experience high flood risk.
This is just as heavy downpour caused some level of flooding in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the LGAs include Edu, Baruten, Kaiama, Moro and Patigi, all in the Kwara North.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, stated this Tuesday in Ilorin while speaking at the 2026 stakeholders’ engagement on the National Disaster Preparedness and Response Campaign (NPRC).
The programme, themed: “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance for a Resilient Nigeria”, was organised by NEMA in collaboration with Sahel Consulting.
Umar, represented by Mr. Hussaini Isah, the Head of Operations for the NEMA Minna Operations Office, Niger state, also warned that several other LGAs in Kwara were projected to experience moderate flooding during the 2026 rainy season.
“In response, NEMA convened an expert review meeting on March 31 and April 1 to assess the implications of these forecasts.
“The analysis indicates potential challenges including delayed or erratic rainfall onset, shorter growing seasons, above-normal rainfall in some areas, prolonged dry spells, and higher temperatures,” she said.
According to her, these factors are expected to affect key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, transportation, energy, water supply, education, and overall public wellbeing.
She said the agency had developed the 2026 Climate-Related Risk Management, Preparedness, and Mitigation framework.
Umar stated that the campaign was designed to drive early and coordinated action to protect lives and livelihoods during the rainy season.
She described the theme as apt and underscored the need for stronger institutions, clearer responsibilities, and proactive collaboration across all levels.
“The recurrent impact of flooding in Nigeria demands an urgent and collective response.
“Each year, lives are lost, livelihoods are disrupted, and public and private infrastructure worth billions of Naira is damaged.
“Communities also bear the burden of injuries, displacement, and the loss of life savings due to unmitigated flood events and their secondary effects,” she said.
The NEMA boss quoted the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, that 23 states, including the FCT, covering 132 LGAs, fall within high flood risk zones.
“A further 14 states, with 148 local government areas, are classified as moderate risk areas,” she said.
Umar explained that NEMA had identified risk profiles and tailored mitigation measures for communication to at-risk communities.
The NEMA boss said the agency was deploying technical teams to all states of the federation for direct community outreach.
She appealed to all stakeholders to support NEMA in amplifying early warning messages to help prevent avoidable flood disasters requiring a “whole-of-society” approach
Also speaking, the General Manager (GM) of the Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency (KWEPA), Mr Jide Aina, observed that the reality of climate change cannot be underestimated.
Aina called on all stakeholders to take responsibility for resilience at the grassroots, adding that no community should be caught unaware in the face of a disaster.
He explained that the agency collaborated with the Ministry of Environment on proper waste management to protect the environment, as well as on capacity building and compliance.
In his presentation, a Meteorologist with the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Mr Desmond Onyilo, described the Kwara rainy season as dynamic.
He added that “the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction showed that the state will also experience a dry spell, which will be moderate to severe.”
He advised farmers to be watchful, adding that “after July 15, farmers should employ caution in cultivating their crops.”
…Heavy downpour causes flooding in Lagos
Meanwhile, there was a heavy downpour in Lagos Tuesday, causing severe flooding in the nation’s commercial hub.
Heavy rains sweep Nigeria between May and November, often resulting in dangerous floods where poor infrastructure and inadequate drainage often worsen the impact across Africa’s most populous country.
No casualties have been reported as of Tuesday.
Flooding is common in many parts of the crowded city including in highbrow districts such as Lekki and Victoria Island where AFP reporters saw flooded streets.
Videos on social media on showed inundated homes and businesses as well as submerged major roads and cars.
A viral social media video also showed residents paddling wooden canoes through floodwaters in the upscale Lekki district.
A resident of the Okota area of Lagos told AFP that people used canoes to evacuate their flooded homes.
“The rain has taken over my house,” 54-year-old trader Rukayat Saidu in Amukoko, another district of Lagos told AFP. “All my appliances have been destroyed.”
The coastal city of more than 20 million people has long grappled with clogged waterways, fuelled by indiscriminate waste disposal, weak government waste management and urbanisation.
“Annual flooding in Lagos is caused by heavy rainfall, inadequate drainage, clogged gutters laden with debris, and fast urban growth that hinders natural water absorption,” climate change expert Olumide Idowu told AFP.
The city is among those facing the brunt of climate change on the West African coast, where sea levels are rising, rainfall is becoming more erratic and urban populations are booming.
Ghana has reported worsening flooding this week, as it recorded at least 12 deaths after a day of rain.
Nigeria’s meteorological agency cautioned on Monday that “continuous rainfall may result in flash flooding in coastal and low-lying communities.”
In a forecast earlier this year, it warned of above normal rainfall, with a delayed end to the rainy season.
State officials did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comments.
In 2022, floods killed at least seven people in Lagos.