The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says five local government areas in Kwara State are at risk of flooding.

The local government areas are Edu, Baruten, Kaiama, Moro and Patigi.

The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, stated this on Tuesday in Ilorin, while speaking at the 2026 stakeholders’ engagement on the National Disaster Preparedness and Response Campaign (NPRC).

The programme, themed “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance for a Resilient Nigeria,” was organised by NEMA in collaboration with Sahel Consulting.

Mrs Umar, represented by Hussaini Isah, the head of operations at the NEMA Minna operations office in Niger State, also warned that several other LGAs in Kwara were projected to experience moderate flooding during the 2026 rainy season.

“In response, NEMA convened an expert review meeting on March 31 and April 1 to assess the implications of these forecasts.

“The analysis indicates potential challenges including delayed or erratic rainfall onset, shorter growing seasons, above-normal rainfall in some areas, prolonged dry spells, and higher temperatures,” she said.

According to her, these factors are expected to affect key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, transportation, energy, water supply, education, and overall public well-being.

She said that the agency had developed the 2026 climate-related risk management, preparedness, and mitigation framework.

Mrs Umar stated that the campaign is designed to drive early and coordinated action to protect lives and livelihoods during the rainy season

She noted that the theme is apt and underscored the need for stronger institutions, clearer responsibilities, and proactive collaboration across all levels.

“The recurrent impact of flooding in Nigeria demands an urgent and collective response.

“Each year, lives are lost, livelihoods are disrupted, and public and private infrastructure worth billions of Naira is damaged.

“Communities also bear the burden of injuries, displacement, and the loss of life savings due to unmitigated flood events and their secondary effects,” she said

Mrs Umar quoted the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, which states that 23 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), across 132 LGAs fall within high-flood-risk zones.

“A further 14 states, with 148 local government areas, are classified as moderate risk areas,” she said.

She explained that NEMA had identified risk profiles and tailored mitigation measures for communication to at-risk communities.

According to her, the agency is deploying technical teams to all states of the federation for direct community outreach.

She appealed to all stakeholders to support NEMA in amplifying early warning messages to help prevent avoidable flood disasters, which require a “whole-of-society” approach.

Also speaking, Jide Aina, the General Manager (GM) of the Kwara State Environmental Protection Agency (KWEPA), observed that the reality of climate change cannot be underestimated.

Mr Aina called on all stakeholders to show responsibility in building resilience at the grassroots, adding that no community should be caught unaware when faced with disaster.

He explained that the agency collaborated with the Ministry of Environment on proper waste management to protect the environment, as well as on capacity building and compliance.

In his presentation, Desmond Onyilo, a meteorologist with NiMET, disclosed that the Kwara rainy season is dynamic.

“The 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction showed that the state will also experience a dry spell, which will be moderate to severe,” he said.

He advised farmers to be watchful, adding that “after July 15, farmers should employ caution in cultivating their crops.”

 (NAN)