By Nengi Elijah
The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has launched its 2026 flood disaster response campaign amidst growing concerns over imminent flooding in Rivers State and 22 other states across Nigeria.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, initiated the programme on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt. The campaign is themed: “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance for a Resilient Nigeria.”
Representing the Director-General, Mr Eric Ebhodaghe, the Acting Director of the South-South Zonal Directorate, stated that the campaign aims to drive swift, coordinated action to protect lives and livelihoods ahead of the predicted deluge.
“Each year, lives are lost, livelihoods are disrupted, and public and private infrastructure worth billions of naira is damaged,” Mrs Umar noted in her address. “Communities also bear the burden of injuries, displacement, and the loss of life savings due to unmitigated floods.”
According to NEMA, the 2026 flood outlook indicates that 132 local government areas across 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, are within high-risk zones. A further 148 local government areas across 14 states have been classified as moderate-risk.
An expert review panel convened by NEMA identified several anticipated challenges for the season, including:
• Delayed or erratic rainfall and shorter growing seasons.
• Above-normal rainfall in specific regions.
• Prolonged dry spells and rising temperatures.
These environmental factors are expected to adversely impact agriculture, healthcare, transport, energy, and education.
To counter these threats, NEMA has established the 2026 Climate-Related Risk Management, Preparedness and Mitigation Framework. The strategy involves training local responders, conducting simulation exercises, prepositioning relief materials, assessing infrastructure integrity, and mapping out community evacuation plans.
Technical teams are being deployed nationwide to conduct direct community outreach, working alongside State Emergency Management Agencies, SEMAs, and local volunteers. Mrs Umar called on traditional rulers, religious bodies, youth groups, and the media to help broadcast early warning signs.
In Rivers State, Mr Tamunosiki Ogbanga, Head of Emergency and Disaster Management at the SEMA, confirmed that officials have already begun monitoring local flood flashpoints.
Operating under the Rivers State Ministry of Special Duties, SEMA is reviewing mitigation measures and preparing evacuation protocols. Residents in vulnerable areas will be relocated to safer ground or accommodated in temporary Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camps with full institutional support if the situation deteriorates.
