By Charles Pemu 
The Federal Government has issued an urgent flood alert warning residents in 19 states and 76 specific locations to brace for potentially devastating floods between August 5 and 9, following forecasts of intensified rainfall across the country.
The alert, released Tuesday by the National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre under the Federal Ministry of Environment, comes as parts of the country most notably Ogun and Gombe states already grapple with severe flood damage this week. The warning urges residents and local authorities in vulnerable areas to take immediate precautionary measures.
Affected locations span across Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Benue, Niger, Taraba, Jigawa, Yobe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Borno, Plateau, Nasarawa, Sokoto, and Gombe States.
The prediction specifically highlighted flood-prone communities such as Edor, Eket, and Oron in Akwa Ibom; Tafawa-Balewa and Misau in Bauchi; Abakaliki and Ezilo in Ebonyi; Keana and Keffi in Nasarawa; Zaria and Birnin-Gwari in Kaduna; Daura and Funtua in Katsina; and Kontagora in Niger. Similar alerts were issued for riverine areas in Cross River, Kebbi, Kano, and Taraba States.
Escalating National Crisis
The forecast comes against the backdrop of one of Nigeria’s deadliest and most destructive flood seasons in recent years. According to data obtained by The Press from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), a staggering 191 Nigerians have died so far in 2025 due to flood-related incidents. An additional 94 people remain unaccounted for, while 134,435 individuals across 47 local government areas in 20 states have been directly affected.
Niger State has emerged as the epicenter of the catastrophe, recording 163 deaths from a single flooding incident in Mokwa, worsened by a dam collapse and torrential rainfall in May. Adamawa State followed with 26 deaths, while Borno and Gombe recorded one fatality each.
NEMA’s figures also indicate:
- 138 injured persons
- 82 still missing
- 43,936 displaced
- 8,594 houses damaged
- 8,278 hectares of farmland destroyed
Children and women have borne the brunt of these disasters, the agency reported, with many communities cut off from essential services and food supplies.
Historic Precedents and Repeated Disasters
This year’s flooding mirrors the widespread destruction of 2024, when the collapse of the Alau Dam in Borno killed at least 150 people and displaced over 419,000. In 2023, more than 1.2 million people were affected nationwide.
From Rivers State, where landslides and floods buried homes in Okrika, to Kwara, where 13 lives were lost in April, the 2025 flood season has left a trail of destruction. The routine water release from the Jebba Hydroelectric Power Station has also triggered flooding across 30 communities in Kwara and Niger States, damaging agricultural fields and displacing rural dwellers.
N3 Billion Relief Fund to States
In response to the nationwide flood emergency, the National Economic Council (NEC) recently approved the release of significant intervention funds:
- ₦3 billion each to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
- ₦1.5 billion each to the Federal Ministries of Budget and National Planning, Environment, and Water Resources & Sanitation
- ₦10 billion to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)
These funds are expected to support emergency relief efforts, flood mitigation infrastructure, and long-term climate resilience strategies. However, implementation challenges persist, especially at the state level, where poor urban planning, drainage failures, and lack of early warning systems continue to exacerbate the crisis.
Government Appeals for Community Action
Speaking on the latest forecasts, officials from the Federal Ministry of Environment urged residents in flagged zones to relocate where possible and avoid waterways during the peak rainfall period.
“This is not just a weather issue—it’s a humanitarian crisis in the making,” one official said, warning that complacency could prove fatal.
As the country faces a perfect storm of climate-induced disasters, poor drainage systems, and rapid urbanisation, experts have called for sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s disaster preparedness and urban planning.
In the meantime, the Federal Government has promised to maintain daily monitoring through its early warning systems and provide continuous updates to affected communities.