148 LGAs Fall Within High Flood Risk Areas, FG Warns

The Federal Government has warned that 148 Local Government Areas in 31 states of the federation, fall within the high flood-risk areas.

This was disclosed in Abuja by Minister of Water Resources, Prof Joseph Utsev while presenting the general highlights of the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook prepared by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency on Tuesday.

Utsev listed the high flood-risk areas as, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kofi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Yobe.

The floods are expected between April and November 2024.

The minister added that part of the 249 LGAs in 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), fall within the moderate flood risk areas.

He, however, did not list the areas under the moderate-risks flooding.

While Nigeria regularly experiences seasonal flooding, the floods of 2022 have been the worst since the 2012 floods.

The 2022 flood was reported to have affected 33 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with over two million people displaced.
-Channels