The Federal Government has issued a warning on the likelihood of heavy flooding in 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, due to expected heavy rains this year.
During the public release of the 2025 Annual Flood Outlook in Abuja on Thursday, April 10, addressing, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev announced that all parts of the nation are under threat, both the coastal and interior regions.
These states, as the minister explains to us, are high-flood risk areas. They are: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and the FCT.
Utsev explained that there would be impacts on some South-South states such as Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers due to increased sea levels through flooding on the coastline and rivers.
Akwa Ibom and Edo also show among high-risk states.
He went on to add that flooding is still one of the most devastating natural disasters affecting Nigeria, in which climate change plays a part in both amplifying its frequency as well as size.
This year’s forecast shows that 1,249 communities in 176 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 30 states and the FCT are categorized under high-risk flood zones.
Additionally, there are another 2,187 communities in 293 LGAs rated at moderate risk.
Some of the exceptional states that will see severe flooding include Abia, Benue, Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Jigawa.
