A statement issued by the agency noted that Ahmed disclosed at a two-day Experts’ Technical Meeting on 2023 Climate-Related Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Strategies in Abuja.

Mustapha Ahmed, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, has issued a warning to Nigerians.

The agency issued a warning of upcoming severe flooding this year as indicated by predictions from relevant agencies.

A statement issued by the agency noted that Ahmed disclosed at a two-day Experts’ Technical Meeting on 2023 Climate-Related Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Strategies in Abuja.

He said that this had earlier been revealed in the seasonal climate predictions and annual flood outlooks by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.

He said, “The flood disaster in 2022 was an eye-opener. However, the agency would spread early warning messages to states and local government areas and the Federal Capital Territory.

“We have started early this year, as we are ready for early warning and early action. We will bombard every citizen, state and local government with this information as we want them to know that it is serious and we will not keep quiet, because we want them to know that there will be flood this year.”

He further advised that those living around water channels and floodplains should take precautions.

In the same vein, the Director-General of Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Clement Nze, disclosed that 178 LGAs in 32 states and the FCT had been predicted to experience severe flooding in 2023.

He said, “This time, we came out early with this prediction and we expect that relevant actors, governments, and individuals will go to work. We expect that actions should be taken, especially at the sub-national levels, early enough, to mitigate the impact of flooding in the country.”