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With 165 Nigerians dead, nearly 120,000 affected, and scores of communities submerged in just seven months of 2025, Nigeria’s floods have moved beyond seasonal disruptions to a national crisis. Across 19 states, from Borno to Bayelsa, families are counting their losses — of loved ones, homes, farmlands, and livelihoods. Yet, amid the grim statistics, there is a glimmer of institutional momentum as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) secures a critical funding intervention from the National Economic Council (NEC) to scale up flood response efforts across the country.
The intervention, announced after the NEC meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, marks a turning point in the country’s approach to disaster financing. At the heart of this development was NEMA’s strategic presentation on the state of flooding in Nigeria, delivered by its Director General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar. The briefing not only laid bare the rising toll of the disaster but also outlined a proactive road map for response, drawing attention to both progress made and glaring institutional gaps.
Following her presentation, the Council approved the disbursement of N10 billion directly to NEMA — a rare emergency release intended to bolster the agency’s preparedness, rescue, and relief operations nationwide. In addition to this, the NEC approved N3 billion for each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, alongside N1.5 billion allocations to key federal ministries involved in flood prevention and emergency coordination.
This funding is a product of sustained advocacy, data-driven planning, and institutional visibility. Since early 2024, NEMA has taken deliberate steps to position itself as not just a response agency, but a central actor in national disaster risk governance. Through the development of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and Action Plan (2024–2027) with support from the United Nations, as well as the ongoing validation of a nationwide Hazard Risk Analysis, the agency has built a compelling case for anticipatory action rather than reactive scramble.
While addressing the NEC, Mrs. Zubaida Umar highlighted that NEMA had already activated its Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) at the national and zonal levels, dispatched early warning messages to all 36 states, and deployed search-and-rescue assets to flood-prone regions. She also emphasized the need to further strengthen State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and operationalize Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) — many of which are inactive or underfunded, hampering last-mile response efforts.
Crucially, the agency’s data-backed advocacy helped shift attention from disaster aftermaths to the necessity of preparation. According to NEMA’s latest dashboard, the 2025 floods have so far affected 119,791 people, displaced 43,936, injured 138, and destroyed over 8,200 farmlands and 8,500 homes across 43 local governments. Vulnerable groups — children, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities — make up the majority of the affected population. These sobering figures lent urgency to the call for action.
Despite these efforts, Mrs. Umar did not shy away from pointing out the systemic bottlenecks undermining national response. From weak drainage infrastructure and poor compliance with urban planning regulations to insecurity in some flood-prone areas and delayed data sharing by subnational actors, the challenges remain complex and deeply rooted. Yet, her tone remained one of pragmatic optimism. “Flooding is not new,” she remarked, “but our response must evolve. We must strengthen our institutions at all levels — and we cannot do it alone.”
This sense of urgency appeared to resonate with the NEC, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima. The funding directive, while a welcome development, also signals a test of accountability and coordination across all tiers of government. For NEMA, it means mobilizing quickly to utilize the funds in line with its mandate, while ensuring transparency and community-level impact. For states, it is a call to awaken dormant SEMAs, enforce environmental laws, and match federal efforts with local preparedness.
Observers say the timing is crucial. The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) had earlier projected that 148 LGAs across 33 states are at high flood risk in 2025 — a warning that is already materializing in parts of Rivers, Imo, Kaduna, and Borno. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has also warned that disaster-induced displacements in Nigeria could double by 2030 if adaptation efforts remain slow.
What the NEC intervention represents, therefore, is not just a financial bailout but a validation of NEMA’s shift towards strategic foresight. By leveraging early warning data, inter-agency coordination, and sustained stakeholder engagement, the agency is setting a new tone for disaster management in the country. But this shift will only hold if it is matched by political will, functional subnational systems, and community participation.
For too long, flood response in Nigeria has followed a predictable script: disaster strikes, lives are lost, emergency palliatives are rushed in, and then business as usual resumes — until the next rainy season. The hope now is that with structured funding and institutional clarity, this cycle can be broken.
As the waters continue to rise and thousands remain at risk, the question is no longer whether Nigeria can predict these floods — but whether it can respond in time, with the right tools, coordination, and commitment.
Abdulhamid Abdullahi Aliyu writes on disaster management, humanitarian response, and national development
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