The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs Zubaida Umar, has said that preventing preventable flood disasters requires an all-of-society approach.
Umar said this on Wednesday in Enugu during a Stakeholders’ Engagement and Flag-off of the 2026 National Preparedness and Response Campaign on Flood Disaster and Related Hazards in Enugu State. The engagement was themed: “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance for a Resilient Nigeria.”
Represented by Dr Evans Ugoh, NEMA’s Director of Disaster Risk Reduction, the director-general noted that effective flood response is built on inclusiveness, community participation, and shared responsibility.
According to her, “we call on all partners, traditional institutions, religious organizations, women and youth groups, the media, and the private sector to support NEMA in amplifying these early warning messages.”
Umar said that the stakeholders’ engagement/campaign was designed to drive early and coordinated action to protect lives and livelihoods during the 2026 rainy season. On the theme, the director-general 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. The 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency is for 23 states, including the FCT.
“It covers 132 local government areas, which fall within high flood risk zones. A further 14 states, with 148 local government areas, are classified as moderate risk areas,” she said.
Umar said that NEMA had convened an expert review meeting to assess implications of these forecasts, adding that analysis indicated potential challenges including delayed/erratic rainfall onset, shorter growing seasons, above-normal rainfall, prolonged dry spells, and higher temperatures.
She said that these factors were expected to affect key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, transportation, energy, water supply, education, and overall public well-being. The director-general said, “In response to these projections, NEMA has developed the 2026 Climate-Related Risk Management, Preparedness, and Mitigation Framework.
“This framework provides a structured guide for reducing flood impacts nationwide. Key mitigation strategies included: capacity building for local responders and simulation and tabletop exercises. Others are strict adherence to rainfall and flood advisories; prepositioning of relief materials in high-risk areas; infrastructure integrity assessments, and development and testing of community evacuation plans.”
In a goodwill message, Mrs Anyanwu Chinwe, the representative of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), urged stakeholders to work in closer synergy and achieve a holistic result against flooding as predicted.
Speaking, Mrs Amaka Desmond, representative of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), called on Nigerians to take early warning and proactive preparedness seriously to avoid human and property losses.
