National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Minna Operation Office, has alerted Kwara residents of an impending flood as raining season commences across Nigeria.

The agency advised village and district heads, as well as religious leaders, particularly those at the community level, to start making preparations to mitigate the effects of the flood.

This is contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Head of NEMA Operation in Minna, Zainab Suleiman-Sa’idu, in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital

She stated that the alert was necessary as a result of the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency’s (NIHSA) Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) and the Nigeria Metrological Agency’s (NiMET) seasonal climate prediction for 2023.

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Mrs. Suleiman-Sa’idu went on to say that the two reports are the result of scientific studies that revealed that the country would face flood risks in three categories: high, moderate, and low.

She then advised the community leaders to urgently lead the people of their various communities in identifying drainages/culverts that are blocked to be cleared.

Last year, widespread flooding killed hundreds of people in Nigeria, left around 90,000 homes under water and blocked food and fuel supplies.

The floods have hit 27 of Nigeria’s 36 states and impacted around 1.4 million people, according to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development of Nigeria.

Nigerian officials also said flooding caused by heavier than usual rains had been building since early summer and intensified after water releases from the Lagdo dam in neighbouring Cameroon.