From Our Correspondent
National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has commenced an early warning campaign in Kaduna State to ensure proactive response to flood risks during the rainy season.
Speaking at a stakeholders engagement on Thursday in Kaduna, Director-General of the agency, Zubaida Umar said the campaign is aimed at raising awareness and strengthening preparedness across flood-prone communities.
Umar, who was represented by the Head of NEMA Operations in Kaduna, Sulaiman Muhammad, said Kaduna North and Chikun Local Government Areas have been identified as high-risk zones due to flash floods and blocked drainage channel.
She said flooding in recent years had resulted in the loss of lives, livelihoods and infrastructure, with damages running into billions of naira.
“Many Nigerians have suffered injuries and lost their life savings due to unmitigated flood incidents and associated secondary hazards annually,” she decried.
The director-general cited the 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Annual Flood Outlook as indicators of changing rainfall patterns and likely flood scenarios.
According to her, NEMA has developed flood risk maps, community vulnerability profiles and response guides to aid disaster preparedness in Kaduna.
“As part of our early warning systems, we are prioritising community sensitisation, drainage clearance, stockpiling of relief items, simulation exercises and livestock vaccination,” she added.
Umar said NEMA, in collaboration with the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, KADSEMA, and local volunteers, would take warning messages directly to vulnerable communities.
She urged religious and traditional leaders, civil society groups and the media to support the campaign and reinforce flood awareness.
Umar reaffirmed NEMA’s alignment with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that “disaster management is everyone’s responsibility”.
Also speaking, NEMA’s Chief Disaster Risk Officer, Mrs Halima Galma said 12 states and 43 local government areas had been classified as high-risk, while another 12 states were listed under medium-risk zone.
Galma said a technical forum held in March recommended improved coordination, targeted reforms and better dissemination of early warning.
She called for investments in flood-resilient infrastructure, GIS-based real-time mapping tools and stronger communication channels.
