Lack of awareness and inadequate preparation make flooding inevitable every rainy season
By Yusuf Mohammed
June came, heralding the beginning of the yearly rainy season, a time that should normally sig-nal growth, rejuvenation, and agricultural prosperity. But in Nigeria, it has sadly become a sea-son of anxiety, destruction, and despair. Rain in many parts of Nigeria is not just about bless-ings; it is a precursor to one of the country’s most devastating and predictable yearly disasters: flooding.
Year after year, rainfall across the country leads to widespread flooding, yet, as regular and predictable as this natural event has become, Nigeria continues to struggle with preparedness and response. The reality is stark: in Nigeria, there is almost no rain without floods. And that raises a critical question: why? Why does this national tragedy repeat itself every year, seeming-ly without lessons learned or adequate steps taken to mitigate its consequences?
The human and economic costs of flooding in Nigeria are enormous. Recently, the Perma-nent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mahmud A. Kambari, provided a so-bering snapshot of the scale of damage. He stated that Nigeria lost agricultural produce worth over ₦11.5 billion to floods. That figure represents not just economic loss but also deepens food insecurity for a country where millions already struggle with hunger and malnutrition.
At a Technical Committee Meeting on the National Flood Insurance Policy and Implementa-tion Framework held in Abuja, Kambari painted a broader and even more worrying picture. He explained that climate change, unplanned urbanisation, poor waste disposal, and inadequate drainage infrastructure are all contributing to the increase in flood incidents nationwide. He also confirmed that in Mokwa, Niger State, about 3,000 people were displaced, 200 lives lost, 265 houses destroyed, and 503 households affected by a recent flood disaster.
These are not mere statistics. Behind every number is a shattered home, a grieving parent, a child out of school, and a family pushed deeper into poverty.
The most disturbing part of this problem is its predictability. Floods in Nigeria have long ceased to be a surprise. We know it will come. We know the most vulnerable areas. We even have flood outlook and forecast issued yearly by relevant agencies like the Nigerian Hydrologi-cal Services Agency (NIHSA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet). Yet, the floods come, and we are caught unprepared.
According to Kambari, Nigeria needs to move from reactive measures to initiative-taking and sustainable flood risk management. Currently, the response mechanism is post-disaster rescue operations, relief materials, and temporary shelter, until the media attention fades and the cycle repeats itself. There is an urgent need for long-term planning that includes structural solutions like effective drainage systems, urban planning reforms, investment in dams and levees, and non-structural solutions such as education, early warning systems, and community-based resil-ience programs.
Floods are not only destroying homes and livelihoods; they are taking lives. In Niger State, a 7-year-old boy was recently killed by floodwaters. Earlier in the same state, at least 151 people died due to flash floods that destroyed entire communities.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) confirmed that more than 500 households and over 3,000 individuals were affected in the town of Mokwa alone. Many fami-lies lost multiple relatives between two and five in some cases, including children. The agency further warned that the death toll could rise as many victims were washed away into the River Niger, and recovery efforts are ongoing.
Even in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, flooding is a recurring challenge. Although the floods may not always be as deadly as those in riverine and inland areas, the economic conse-quences are significant. Areas like Lekki, home to some of the most expensive real estate in Ni-geria, are regularly submerged during heavy rainfall.
Residents, many of whom have spent fortunes on their homes, often find themselves trapped indoors or wading through water just to leave their driveways. The roads become impassable, vehicles get damaged, and businesses suffer. It’s a common sentiment that despite the high cost of living in these neighbourhoods, people are not getting their money’s worth in terms of basic infrastructure and drainage.
It is a bitter irony that some of the most modern estates are situated in flood-prone areas, built on wetlands and reclaimed land without adequate environmental impact assessments or mitigation measures.
Several government agencies are tasked with flood-related responsibilities in Nigeria. The Na-tional Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) handles disaster response, while the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) provides flood forecasts and monitoring.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) issues seasonal rainfall predictions, while the Federal Ministry of Environment oversees national environmental policies. The State Emer-gency Management Agencies (SEMAs) respond at the state level.
Despite the presence of these agencies, the results have been far from satisfactory. There is a lack of coordination, poor funding, inadequate implementation of policies and, in many cases, a complete disregard for early warnings issued by these bodies.
However, flooding in Nigeria cannot be blamed on nature alone. Human actions or inactions play a significant role. Urbanisation is happening at a rapid pace, often without proper plan-ning. People build on waterways, drainage systems are blocked by plastic waste, and wetlands, which serve as natural flood buffers, are being destroyed. Moreover, climate change has inten-sified rainfall patterns, making floods more severe and unpredictable.
In cities and rural areas, too, there is limited awareness about the impact of everyday choices. From throwing refuse into drains to building houses on floodplains, the cumulative effect of individual actions is enormous.
The solutions are neither mysterious nor unattainable. But they require political will, policy enforcement, and public engagement. Some key recommendations according to experts in-clude:
Denial of approval for building on waterways or flood-prone zones. Those already occupying such spaces need to be relocated with support systems in place.
Agencies like NiMet and NIHSA need to be empowered to provide real-time information that is accessible and actionable at the community level.
Nigerians also need to be educated on flood risks and how to prepare or respond effectively. Community sensitisation can save lives.
Expansion and maintenance of drainage networks are needed, including the construction of retention basins, embankments, and flood barriers in vulnerable areas.
Kambari’s advocacy for a National Flood Insurance Policy is a step in the right direction. It would help communities rebuild after a disaster and reduce long-term economic losses.
Nigeria’s annual battle with flooding is not a fate sealed by geography or climate; it is largely the result of neglect, poor planning, and failure to act. Each year, we mourn the dead, count the cost, and repeat the same cycle. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Rain should be a blessing, not a curse, irrigating crops, replenishing water tables, and cooling cities, but not washing away homes, children, and the future.
The story needs to change.
