Ken Okeke
More than 14,000 communities are potentially exposed to widespread flooding across 33 of the country’s 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, the hydrological agency said on Thursday.
In its annual flood outlook, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) said in a statement that flooding was expected to peak between July and September at the height of the rainy season, threatening cities, farmland and critical infrastructure.
NiHSA said 14,118 communities were classified as high risk, with another 15,597 facing moderate risk. The figures were broadly in line with those of recent years.
Major cities including Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt could see severe urban flooding, while coastal states such as Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, and Lagos are vulnerable to river and tidal floods.
Nigeria is prone to flooding during the rainy season, which typically begins in April and ends in October.
In 2022, its worst floods in more than a decade killed over 600 people, displaced 1.4 million and destroyed 440,000 hectares (1.09 million acres) of farmland.
Last year, more than 200 people died in one flooding incident alone.