The Federal Government has released the 2026 Annual Flood Outlook, predicting that 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory will experience high flood risk, including Bayelsa, Delta, Adamawa, and Kebbi.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr Joseph Utsev, disclosed this at the public presentation of the AFO in Abuja on Wednesday, organised by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
Utsev said early information saves lives, livelihoods, protects infrastructure, and reduces economic losses, adding that the government is committed to modernising national hydrological monitoring networks.
“The 2026 flood forecast presented today provides us with the following general highlights: High Flood Risk: 14,118 communities in 266 Local Government Areas in 33 States and FCT fall within the high flood risk areas,” the minister said.
The states listed include Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and the FCT.
Utsev also disclosed that 15,597 communities in 405 local government areas across 35 states will experience moderate flood risk. Only Ekiti State was excluded from moderate risk.
Flash and urban flooding are projected in major cities including Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Ibadan, and Kaduna, among others, due to high rainfall intensities and poor drainage systems.
Coastal flooding is expected to affect Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, and Ondo due to rising sea levels and tidal surges, impacting fishing, wildlife habitation, and river navigation.
The minister called on state and local governments to begin preparations to mitigate the impacts of the predicted flood.
“I therefore call on state governments, local authorities, disaster management agencies, farmers, and community leaders to carefully study the findings and advisories contained in this document and take the necessary steps to prepare for the coming flood season,” Utsev said.
The Director General of NiHSA, Umar Ibrahim Mohammed, said the agency has upgraded its flood forecasting system to a Hybrid AI-Integrated Modelling system to improve forecast reliability and reduce false alarms. He added that the agency’s Flood Dashboard has been upgraded to a full-scale Decision-Support Geo-Intelligence System with a dedicated mobile app for real-time flood alerts.
