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| NOA Jigawa state Director Ahmad Ibrahim (centre) and other officials at the event held at NOA State Office, Dutse. Photo: Salisu Kabuga |
The National Orientation Agency has raised fresh concerns over the recurring flood disasters affecting communities across Jigawa State, warning residents to stop activities that worsen the annual devastation as Nigeria prepares for another intense rainy season.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Dutse, the Jigawa State Director of the agency, Ahmad Ibrahim, said flooding in the state had become a persistent environmental and humanitarian crisis driven not only by climate change but also by harmful human practices.
According to Ibrahim, the agency’s latest sensitisation campaign is focused heavily on flood mitigation and emergency preparedness following warnings issued in the 2026 Annual Flood Outlook released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency. The federal government had earlier identified Jigawa among the states facing a high risk of flooding this year, with more than 14,000 communities across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory listed as vulnerable.
For many communities in Jigawa, flooding is no longer viewed as an occasional natural disaster but as a recurring threat that disrupts livelihoods almost every rainy season. Vast farmlands are often submerged, homes destroyed, roads damaged and, in severe cases, lives lost. In a state where agriculture remains central to economic survival, repeated flooding continues to deepen poverty and food insecurity among rural households.
Ibrahim noted that while climate conditions have intensified rainfall patterns, human behaviour has significantly worsened the impact of floods in many communities. He identified indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels, illegal construction on waterways, poor maintenance of infrastructure and excessive deforestation as some of the major causes aggravating the crisis.
He stressed that blocked drainage systems and uncontrolled urban expansion have reduced the natural flow of water during heavy rainfall, leaving many settlements exposed whenever rivers overflow or storms intensify. According to him, these practices continue to increase the scale of destruction witnessed yearly across Jigawa communities.
The warning from the NOA comes amid growing national anxiety over flood preparedness in Nigeria. In April, the Federal Government disclosed that 226 local government areas in 33 states fall within the high flood-risk category for 2026, while several urban centres are expected to experience flash flooding due to poor drainage systems and inadequate flood-control infrastructure.
The National Emergency Management Agency has also urged state governments to intensify preventive measures before peak rainfall months arrive. NEMA advised authorities to revive environmental sanitation exercises, clear blocked waterways and strengthen local emergency response systems to reduce the likely impact on vulnerable populations.
In Jigawa, the situation is particularly delicate because several communities depend heavily on farming and fishing activities located around flood-prone areas. Analysts say recurring floods in northern Nigeria are increasingly becoming both an environmental and economic issue, especially as changing weather patterns continue to affect crop production and rural stability.
The NOA said it would deploy Community Orientation and Mobilisation Officers across the 27 local government areas of Jigawa State to intensify awareness campaigns, particularly in communities considered highly vulnerable. Ibrahim urged residents to pay close attention to early warning advisories issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, which he said maintain a high level of forecasting accuracy.
He also encouraged communities to embrace environmental sanitation, tree planting and responsible waste disposal as practical ways of reducing flood risks. Environmental experts have repeatedly argued that local preventive measures, when consistently enforced, can significantly reduce the destructive impact of seasonal flooding even in high-risk regions.
Beyond flooding, the NOA’s campaign also addressed other public issues including continuous voter registration and the misuse of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food, a specialised nutritional product meant for severely malnourished children. Ibrahim warned that despite ongoing campaigns supported by UNICEF and the Jigawa State Government, the product was still being sold illegally in markets and consumed by adults, thereby endangering vulnerable children who genuinely need the treatment.
The agency appealed to journalists and community leaders to sustain public advocacy on both environmental safety and child nutrition, insisting that public awareness remains one of the strongest tools for preventing avoidable disasters.
As the rainy season intensifies across Nigeria, the warning from Jigawa reflects a broader national concern that flood prevention can no longer be treated as a seasonal discussion alone. Increasingly, experts say the country must move towards long-term urban planning, stronger environmental enforcement and community-based disaster preparedness if recurring floods are to be effectively controlled.
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