Nigeria is taking proactive measures to beat floods and climate risks with NEMA’s new 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction strategy.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) convened a high-level technical session to review the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) and lessons from the 2025 After-Action Review (AAR). The initiative marks a shift from reactive response to proactive disaster preparedness.
DG Zubaida Umar stressed that timely, coordinated action is key, noting that floods continue to threaten lives, infrastructure, and development. NEMA’s data shows real progress: affected persons dropped from 5 million in 2024 to 500,000 in 2025, and fatalities fell from over 1,000 to 241.
Assistant Director Dapo Akingboade credited early warnings, simulation exercises, and community awareness for the improvements, while urging stronger local contingency plans and use of local languages in outreach.
NiMet’s Abubakar Sadiq revealed that 2026 will see a transition from a weak La Niña to neutral conditions, predicting near-normal rainfall with 74% accuracy in forecasts. He clarified unusual FCT weather was due to extra-tropical systems.
Representatives from NIHSA, Nigerian Red Cross, and the military pledged support for flood monitoring, early warnings, and coordinated rescue operations. The 2026 Annual Flood Outlook will be released April 15, aiming to further cut the socio-economic impact of flooding.
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