The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Friday in Calabar inaugurated a nationwide campaign aimed at reducing disaster-related casualties in 2026.
Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, said this during the commencement of the National Disaster Preparedness and Response Campaign (NPRC) 2026, themed “Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance for a Resilient Nigeria.”
Umar said the campaign was designed to drive early and coordinated action to protect lives and livelihoods, particularly during the rainy season across vulnerable communities nationwide.
She said that recurrent flooding was continuing to destroy infrastructure, disrupt livelihoods, and displace communities annually across Nigeria..
According to NEMA data, floods killed 241 people in 2025, down from 321 deaths recorded in 2024, with hundreds of thousands affected nationwide.
The data also showed that 433,578 persons were affected, 144,790 displaced, 839 injured, 52,592 houses damaged, and 74,767 acres of farmland destroyed in 2025.
Umar said the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction and Flood Outlook identified 33 states, including Cross River and the Federal Capital Territory, as high flood-risk areas.
“Following this, NEMA convened an expert review meeting in April to assess forecasts and develop a preparedness and mitigation framework to reduce flood impacts nationwide,” she said.
She urged state governments and residents of flood-prone areas to identify safe evacuation points ahead of emergencies and strengthen community-level preparedness measures.
Umar also called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, media organisations and the private sector to support nationwide flood awareness campaigns and risk communication efforts.
She later paid a courtesy visit to Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, urging stronger proactive measures for effective flood management in the state.
Otu commended NEMA’s preparedness efforts and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to partnering with the agency to strengthen disaster response mechanisms.
Stakeholders, including emergency agencies, the military, Nigerian Red Cross, farmers’ associations, and traditional and religious organisations, attended the event in Calabar.
