The recent warning by the Federal Government that 38 communities across 11 states are at immediate risk of flooding should not be treated as just another routine alert. It is a stark reminder that Nigeria is perilously unprepared for the rainy season, despite repeated disasters and massive budgetary allocations for ecological interventions.
According to the National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre, flooding is expected between Wednesday, 16 July and Sunday, 20 July 2025, in parts of Anambra, Delta, Edo, Ogun, Osun, Kaduna, Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Yobe, and Zamfara States. These states, along with low-lying communities near rivers and coastal areas, could face severe displacement, crop destruction, infrastructural damage, and even loss of lives.
In the face of such dire projections, it is not enough for officials to simply issue forecasts. What is needed is a demonstration of political will and capacity. The federal and state governments must urgently deploy resources to areas at risk, clear obstructed water channels, relocate vulnerable populations, and ensure that emergency relief agencies are on high alert and fully equipped.
It bears repeating that these floods are not wholly unpredictable. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and other climate bodies issue seasonal rainfall predictions and hydrological outlooks months in advance. What has consistently failed is the will to act proactively. Too often, governments wait until floodwaters have submerged homes and highways before scrambling to respond, by which time lives are already lost.
The problem is compounded by decades of underinvestment in urban planning, solid waste management, and drainage infrastructure. In cities such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Asaba, blocked drainages and haphazard construction are perennial contributors to urban flooding. It is the same story in rural areas where riverine communities are left to the mercy of overflowing tributaries and broken dams. The situation is worsened by deforestation and indiscriminate sand mining, which erode natural flood defences.
What makes the current scenario particularly unacceptable is the enormous sums already expended on ecological interventions. In 2022 alone, the Ecological Fund Office reportedly received over ₦70 billion, while the cumulative disbursements to federal and subnational governments in the last decade have exceeded ₦600 billion. Yet there is little to show in terms of tangible flood mitigation infrastructure or community resilience programmes.
There must be accountability. Where has this money gone? How has it been used? Are ecological fund projects tied to community needs or merely awarded as political patronage? The National Assembly must rise beyond partisan considerations and initiate a performance audit of these interventions. Nigerians deserve to know why, year after year, we seem to be caught off-guard by rains that arrive on a schedule.
Additionally, climate change has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense. The government cannot continue to treat these occurrences as isolated incidents. Nigeria needs a long-term, coordinated national strategy that integrates environmental planning, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and insurance schemes for flood-prone communities. The time to begin that work was yesterday.
Also, this is not the burden of government alone. Communities must stop dumping refuse in canals, and property developers must stop erecting buildings on flood plains. Citizens must hold their leaders to account and insist on governance that values foresight over spectacle.
Warnings will not hold back floodwaters. Only sustained action can. The current situation presents another opportunity, perhaps the final warning, to do what must be done.