The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has warned that this year’s upcoming flood could aggravate existing socio-economic hardships across the country.
The forum gave the warning in a statement by its spokesperson, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, citing recent predictions by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA).
The NIHSA said 1,249 communities in 176 local government areas in 30 states, including 16 in the North and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), were likely to be flooded this year.
The ACF, which expressed concern, therefore advised government at all levels and Nigerians living in flood-prone areas to take urgent and proactive steps to mitigate the anticipated impact of the 2025 seasonal floods.
“Communities without adequate preparations typically experience deaths, destruction of farmlands, property damage, disruptions to livelihoods, and food shortages. For 2025, the floods could not come at a worse time, given the dire economic and other existential constraints that citizens have been living with,” the statement said.
It faulted the Federal Government sensitization of the public on the looming threat, saying many communities were not captured in the awareness effort, even as the rainy season is already underway in several parts of the country.
The forum told the federal, state, and local government agencies to increase the sensitization, and prepare for emergency response and relief agencies by stockpiling food, medicines, drinking water, and other essential supplies for vulnerable communities.
It said authorities should fix damaged roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and markets before the floods hit, just as it called for enforcement of planning laws, building codes, and environmental regulations to prevent avoidable disasters.
“Incompetence, misconduct, dereliction of duty, quackery, and corruption must not go unpunished,” the statement said.
The statement advised Nigerians to adopt proper environmental and hygienic practices, avoid blocking drainages and water channels, and refrain from indiscriminate dumping of refuse and pledged its commitment to supporting efforts that will safeguard lives and property in the face of the predicted floods.
