Agency strengthens nationwide flood monitoring and coordination as peak rainy season approaches high-risk communities

The National Emergency Management Agency has activated the NEMA Emergency Centre to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness for the 2026 flood season, signalling a renewed push to improve coordination, real-time monitoring and emergency response as heavy rains intensify across vulnerable communities.

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The activation was announced on Tuesday at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, where the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar, inaugurated members of the National Emergency Operations Centre and charged them to approach their responsibilities with professionalism, diligence and urgency.

The move comes as government agencies intensify efforts to reduce the impact of seasonal flooding, which has repeatedly displaced thousands of people, destroyed farmland and infrastructure, and claimed lives in several parts of Nigeria during previous rainy seasons.

According to a statement issued by the agency, the operations centre will serve as the national coordination hub for monitoring flood incidents, collecting and analysing data, and supporting faster decision-making by emergency responders throughout the 2026 rainy season.

Speaking at the inauguration, Umar said accurate and timely information would be critical to protecting lives and livelihoods in communities facing heightened flood risks.

She urged members of the centre to ensure that every report generated was factual, reliable and promptly disseminated to support effective emergency planning and response.

“Timely access to credible information is essential for early action, deployment of resources and the protection of lives and livelihoods in communities at risk of flooding,” Umar said.

The agency explained that the activation forms part of broader federal efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and improve collaboration among emergency management institutions before flooding reaches its seasonal peak.

Also speaking, NEMA’s Deputy Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Tony Ephraim, assured the Director-General that members of the operations centre would fully discharge their mandate.

“We will work diligently to ensure effective monitoring, data collection, analysis and information management to support timely decision-making and coordinated response to flood emergencies and other climate-related hazards,” Ephraim said.

The activation follows months of preparedness activities undertaken by NEMA after the Federal Government presented the 2026 Annual Flood Outlook in April.

The outlook identified several states as facing elevated flood risks during this year’s rainy season based on forecasts from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.

Since then, the agency has expanded public awareness campaigns, urged residents of flood-prone communities to heed early warning alerts, and encouraged vulnerable households to relocate where necessary before floodwaters rise.

NEMA has also deepened cooperation with state emergency management agencies, the Nigerian Army and other stakeholders to improve disaster response capacity should major flooding occur.

Flooding remains one of Nigeria’s most persistent humanitarian challenges, with extreme rainfall, poor drainage infrastructure, rapid urbanisation and climate change combining to increase the frequency and severity of disasters in many communities.

In recent years, successive flood emergencies have disrupted agriculture, damaged critical infrastructure and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents, prompting greater emphasis on prevention, early warning systems and coordinated emergency management.

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By activating the NEMA Emergency Centre ahead of the peak rains, the agency is seeking to shift more of Nigeria’s disaster response towards proactive preparedness rather than reactive intervention, while improving information-sharing among government institutions responsible for protecting lives and property during the 2026 flood season.