By Ayomide Otitoju
At least 49 people have lost their lives, and thousands have been displaced due to severe flooding in Nigeria’s northeastern region, the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) reported on Monday. The floods, which have ravaged the states of Jigawa, Adamawa, and Taraba, have forced 41,344 people from their homes, according to NEMA spokesperson Manzo Ezekiel.
This disaster comes as Nigeria braces for the peak of its rainy season, particularly in the northern part of the country. “The situation is very dire,” Ezekiel told Reuters, highlighting the extensive damage to agricultural lands, with approximately 693 hectares affected. The flooding adds to the challenges facing Nigeria’s farming sector, already strained by militant attacks and high inflation, which has driven up food prices.
The Nigerian government had previously warned that 31 of the country’s 36 states were at high risk of flooding this year. “We are beginning to see a manifestation of our predictions,” Ezekiel noted, citing rising water levels from the River Niger as a contributing factor.
NEMA had earlier issued alerts for major floods in certain Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Rivers State. During a workshop in Port Harcourt, the agency identified 13 high-risk LGAs, including Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Degema, and Ahoada East and West, urging local authorities to prepare for the imminent threat.
In Zamfara State, NEMA’s Director-General, Zubaida Umar, warned that eight LGAs are likely to experience moderate flooding during the 2024 rainy season. The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) also forecasted that 31 states, encompassing 148 LGAs, are within high flood-risk areas this year, with an additional 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) falling into moderate risk zones.
