According to the country’s humanitarian affairs agency, more than 600 people have perished and more than 1.3 million have been displaced as a result of the worst floods in almost a decade in Nigeria.

Thousands of homes, as well as vast swathes of agriculture, highways, and other vital infrastructure, have been damaged or destroyed. Extreme rainfall and the discharge of water from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam, which borders Nigeria, caused catastrophic flooding.

Nigeria has presented a national response plan for state and municipal governments, as well as food and supplies to the states. Flooding has affected 27 of Nigeria’s 36 states, according to officials, and additional flooding is expected in the coming weeks.

Climate change, according to Matthias Schmale, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria, has exacerbated the flooding. Rising temperatures have increased atmospheric evaporation, resulting in more frequent and intense precipitation events and drought conditions.

“Climate change is real, as we are discovering yet again in Nigeria,” Schmale stated at a press conference last week.

The minister of humanitarian affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, stated this week that states and local governments failed to take appropriate steps to prepare for the devastating floods despite warnings, and asked local residents to pay attention to climate projections.

Farouq also urged officials to prepare for more flooding by relocating those living on flood plains to higher ground and supplying communities with tents, relief goods, and medical supplies.

“There was enough warning and information on the 2022 flood, but states, local governments, and communities appear to have ignored it,” the minister tweeted on Monday.

According to NASA satellite imagery, floodwaters have overwhelmed multiple communities along the banks of the Niger and Benue rivers, as well as Lokoja, the capital city of the state of Kogi.

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