Following the devastating floods that reportedly claimed over 200 lives in Niger State, the Country Director of GoalPrime Organisation, Professor Christopher Chinedumuije, has urged President Bola Tinubu and governors of the 30 flood-prone states to urgently develop and implement anticipatory action plans to mitigate the impact of future flood disasters.
Professor Chinedumuije, a renowned expert in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Studies, made this call while emphasizing that flooding, being a predictable phenomenon, can be managed and its impact significantly reduced through proactive planning.
He lamented that despite early warnings from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), no meaningful anticipatory measures were taken in most of the affected states.
He, however, noted that only Adamawa State, in partnership with the United Nations and other stakeholders, implemented a forward-looking response mechanism.
“This is not just a humanitarian catastrophe — it is, regrettably, a stark reflection of our failure as a nation to act ahead of known risks,” Chinedumuije stated.
“For over a decade, NiMet and NIHSA have consistently issued Seasonal Climate Predictions (SCPs) and Annual Flood Outlooks, clearly identifying states and communities at risk. These forecasts are science-based and globally accepted. Yet, year after year, we fail to act until lives are lost and livelihoods are destroyed.”
He described the flood disaster in Niger as “clearly avoidable,” adding that anticipatory action should be viewed as a necessity rather than a luxury.
Professor Chinedumuije listed the 30 states identified by NiMet as flood-prone in 2025: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, and Zamfara.
He urged the leadership of these states to activate anticipatory action frameworks immediately, warning that Nigeria cannot continue with a culture of reactive responses to predictable disasters.
“Mr. President and Governors of States-at-Risk, the time to act is now. Activate anticipatory action plans. We cannot keep losing lives to disasters we have the tools to forecast and prevent,” he added.
Chinedumuije further called on President Tinubu and the governors of the affected states to convene state-level emergency flood preparedness summits, involving key stakeholders such as State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), local governments, traditional rulers, NGOs, and community leaders.
He recommended the pre-positioning of emergency response materials — including food, shelter kits, and mobile health units — and the strengthening of early warning systems through radio, town criers, and digital platforms.
Additionally, he advised that communities be engaged in identifying evacuation routes and safe shelters, while drainage channels, rivers, and waterways should be desilted as a matter of urgency.
He stressed the importance of allocating specific budget lines for disaster preparedness, rather than relying on post-disaster spending.
“These flood warnings are not distant or abstract. They are here and real. What remains is our action — or inaction,” he concluded.
