Thousands of Nigerians living in flood-prone communities across 20 states have started relocating to safer areas following a fresh warning by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) of imminent heavy rainfall and potential flash floods.
In its July flood alert released on Monday, NiMet raised the alarm over looming disasters in Sokoto, Lagos, Edo, Benue, Yobe, Bayelsa, Jigawa, Delta, Cross River, Kaduna, Ondo, Adamawa, Nasarawa, and several other states. The agency attributed the risk to expected intense downpours in the coming weeks and urged urgent action by residents and authorities.
The advisory recommended that residents in floodplains should evacuate where necessary, clear blocked drainage systems, prepare emergency kits, unplug electrical appliances during floods, reinforce homes against mudslides, and engage in community-level awareness campaigns to reduce casualties.
Findings revealed that anxious residents in some of the identified states have begun relocating their families and belongings, fearing a repeat of previous devastating floods.
This comes despite more than N620 billion in ecological funds reportedly disbursed to state governments between 2012 and now. Yet, according to experts and community testimonies, the response from sub-national governments remains alarmingly inadequate, with flood prevention infrastructure either poorly maintained or nonexistent.
A resident of Benue’s Makurdi floodplain, Joseph Terngu, said his community has become “seasonally homeless” due to perennial flooding.
