Mokwa flood: Tinubu, govs urged to take preventive steps, design action plans

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the governors of the 30 flood-prone states have been advised to design anticipatory flood prevention plans that will help prevent tragic impact of the disaster in the country.

Following the devastating flood that claimed over 200 lives in Niger State, Country Director, GoalPrime Organisation, Professor Christopher Chinedumuije, said since flood is predictable it’s impact is equally preventable through proactive anticipatory action plans.

Chinedumuije, a professor of Disaster Management and Humanitarian Studies, noted that despite the fact that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) have pre-warned of heavy flooding in 30 states in the country but regrettably no anticipatory plans were made to mitigate the effect of the disaster ahead of time -except for Adamawa where the UN and Partners have put an Anticipatory Action and Response Mechanism in place.

While urging President Tinubu and the governors of the affected 30 states to design flood prevention plans on disaster management, Chinedumuije said the tragic impact of the flood in Niger was clearly avoidable, “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.”

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He added: “For over a decade, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) have consistently issued Seasonal Climate Predictions (SCPs) and Annual Flood Outlooks, clearly identifying the states and communities vulnerable to flood events. These forecasts are not speculative; they are science-based and globally accepted early warning systems.

“Yet, year after year, we fail to act until lives are lost, livelihoods are destroyed, and national sympathy is exhausted,” he stated.

The 30 states officially identified by NiMet as flood-prone in 2025 are 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, Zamfara, urging the leadership of the affected states to be on alert and plan ahead.

Chinedumuije said anticipatory action is not a luxury but a necessity, advising “Mr. President and Governors of States-at-Risk, these 30 states must immediately activate anticipatory action plans. We can no longer afford a reactive culture. Lives are being lost to disasters we have the tools to forecast and mitigate.”

According to him, Tinubu and the governors of the identified states must convene a state-Level emergency flood preparedness summit with all relevant actors, including SEMAs, LGAs, traditional rulers, NGOs, and community leaders; update and activate anticipatory action plans for at-risk LGAs; preposition emergency response materials — food, shelter kits, mobile health units, and strengthen early warning systems through radio, town criers, and digital channels.

The GoalPrime boss added that community actors must be engaged in identifying evacuation routes, shelter points, and contingency plans, while efforts must be made to commence desilting and clearing of drainage channels, rivers, and waterways.

He advised these governments to secure budget lines dedicated to preparedness rather than post-disaster spending, concluding that “Mr. President and Governors of States-at-Risk are to understand that the flood warnings are not abstract future threats — they are here and real. What is left is our action or inaction.”

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