Hours after a flood killed at least 21 in Mokwa, Niger State, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Friday engaged stakeholders in the state on early preparedness and mitigation strategies against floods.
The engagement came under the 2025 National Disaster Preparedness and Response Campaign (NDPRC) held on Thursday in Minna.
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The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, was represented at the event by the Zonal Director in charge of the North-west, Ishaya Chonoko.
The campaign, themed “Strengthening Resilience, Enhancing Preparedness and Response,” brought together key actors in the disaster management ecosystem to deliberate on actionable steps to strengthen local responses to recurrent flooding.
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Mrs Umar said the agency was working with predictions from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) to guide proactive measures in high-risk areas.
“As part of our strategy, NEMA will deploy teams to all states to directly engage flood-prone communities with early warning messages,” she said.
“This grassroots engagement will be carried out in collaboration with State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), and community volunteers.”
She called for the active participation of traditional institutions, religious bodies, women and youth groups, and the media, stressing that “disaster risk reduction is a collective responsibility.”
“There is a need to step up our game and take a different approach from what has been done in the past,” she added. “We must collectively safeguard vulnerable communities, protect critical infrastructure, and ensure continuity of socio-economic activities.”
Speaking at the event, Hussaini Ibrahim, the acting director general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), described the meeting as timely, adding that it would help proffer solutions to expected flood threats and improve emergency response mechanisms.
Also addressing participants, Ahmed Yumu, the state commissioner for humanitarian and disaster management, emphasised that the campaign would reduce the annual losses from recurring floods across the state.
The event was attended by the head of NEMA’s Minna Operations Office, Hussaini Isah; the Area Manager of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Akapo Adeboye; traditional leaders; and representatives of security agencies, among others.
Ironically, hours after the event, at least 21 people were killed after a flood submerged houses in Mokwa, a commercial town in the state.
The flood followed more than five hours of a midnight downpour.
Residents who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES blamed the flood on the collapse of a small dam around New Bussa, a neighbouring town where the Kainji Lake Dam is located.
More than 20 bodies, including those of minors and women, have been recovered, a resident, Umar Yunus, said.
Meanwhile, The Niger State Emergency Management Agency said 21 people lost their lives in the disaster.
The director general of the agency, Mr Hussaini, told journalists in Minna that the incident occurred during a torrential downpour on Wednesday night, causing widespread destruction.
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Mr Hussaini said a woman and her two children were rescued from the flood and were receiving treatment for wounds and shock at Mokwa General Hospital.
He said 21 bodies had been recovered in the incident, but at least 10 persons were still missing as the search and rescue operation continued.
He said the affected communities were Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa communities in Mokwa town.
He added that over 50 residential houses were submerged and washed away with their occupants.
He said NSEMA, in collaboration with Mokwa Local Government, local divers, and volunteers, were conducting search and rescue operations to rescue survivors and recover corpses.
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