The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, has called on state governments across Nigeria to immediately commence proactive measures to prevent and reduce the impact of flooding ahead of the 2026 rainy season. She warned that forecasts indicate that more than 30 states may experience severe flooding this year.
Mrs. Umar made the appeal on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Adamawa State, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, in Yola. The visit formed part of activities marking the stakeholders’ engagement and the flag-off of the 2026 National Preparedness and Response Campaign on Flood Disaster and Related Hazards.
According to the NEMA boss, states are expected to reintroduce and strictly enforce monthly environmental sanitation exercises, ensure regular clearing of drainages and waterways, and strengthen their State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs). She also stressed the need for states to inaugurate and make Local Emergency Management Committees operational at the grassroots level.
Mrs. Umar disclosed that the agency had developed the 2026 Climate-Related Risk Management, Preparedness and Mitigation Framework in response to flood forecasts. She explained that the framework would serve as a guide for coordinated national efforts aimed at reducing the devastating effects of flooding across the country.
She further revealed that through NEMA’s Flood Early Warning System, the agency had identified flood risk profiles and produced vulnerability maps for communities considered to be at high risk. The maps, she said, would support disaster risk reduction planning by federal, state, and local governments.
The NEMA Director General also appealed to traditional rulers, religious organisations, women and youth groups, the media, and the private sector to support the agency by spreading early warning messages and promoting preparedness within communities. She later addressed participants at the campaign flag-off event, urging them to actively play their roles in safeguarding lives and property.
