*As Nigeria records reduction in climate related deaths

THE National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has rallied stakeholders in the emergency and disaster management sector to strengthen Nigeria’s early warning systems as the 2026 rains and flood season approaches.
Director General of the Agency, Zubaida Umar, noted that timely, coordinated and evidence-based action in addressing climate related risks remains critical to savings lives and property due to climates related disasters.
She stated this at a Technical Meeting on the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) and Presentation of the After Action Review (AAR) of the agency themed ‘Strengthening Multisectoral Preparedness and Early Action for Climate Disasters in Nigeria’, yesterday in Abuja.

Umar explained that the 2026 seasonal climate prediction released by NIMET provides stakeholders with a forward looking perspective on expected rainfall patterns, temperature variations and other climate indicators.
According to her, “These projections are not just merely scientific outputs, they’re decision making tools that must guide preparedness action across all sectors.

“In recent years, Nigeria has continued to experience increasing impact on climate variability, particularly flooding, which has affected light and infrastructure and national development efforts. These experiences have consistently highlighted gaps in coordination, preparedness and early action.”

The DG pointed that the presentation of the after action review is critical as it provides an opportunity to reflect on past responses, identify systemic gaps and ensure that government’s approach going forward is informed by practical experience and lessons learned.
“This meeting is designed to bridge the gap between climate information and action.

“It is expected that stakeholders will critically examine the implications of the SCP and translate them into specific preparedness measures,” she notes.

Umar insists that “Preparedness must be proactive, not reactive. It requires timely planning, clear rules and strong coordination across all relevant sectors and levels of government.

“The effectiveness of our collective response will depend on the strength of our collaboration and the actions we take following this meeting.”

Presenting statistics on the review of the 2025 climate change research studies in Nigeria, Mr. Dapo Akingbade of the Planning Research and Statistics unit of NEMA, revealed that Nigeria recorded significant progress in flood disaster management in 2025 as against the 2024 records.

His data presented shows that due to impacts of 2024 flooding, over 5 million people were affected with more than 1 million displaced.1,000 persons lost their lives,16,000 individuals were injured and over 100,000 houses were destroyed.

While in 2025, the numbers came down to 459,195 people affected by the flooding and 158,000, displaced. 241 lost their lives and over 54,000 houses were affected.

The statistics also indicate that in terms of comparison in 2024, 35 states were affected, but in 2025 the number of states impacted by flood is 27.

Akingbade further said that “Early dissemination of forecast for prompt action in 2025 led to the sharp reduction in number of deaths recorded.

“Because of the nature of flooding in Nigeria, we want to see how we have prepared and responded to flood in 2025, identify successes, gaps, and lessons from preparedness and response activities for improved disaster risk management in Nigeria.”

Drawing from lessons learned in the 2025 season, NEMA called for the translation of forecasts into effective action by strengthening coordination, improving communication, and investing in resilience are critical to reducing future climate change disasters.