With heavy rains on the horizon, Sokoto isn’t waiting around — emergency agencies have teamed up to get communities flood-ready before the water starts rising.

So, Sokoto is getting ahead of the floods this year. The Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency, or SEMA, and the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, just launched their 2026 National Preparedness and Response Campaign for Flood Disasters and Related Hazards. The message? Parts of Sokoto are still very much in the splash zone this rainy season.

The whole thing kicked off on Tuesday with a stakeholders’ meet-up at the Sultan Maccido Institute for Qur’anic and General Studies Auditorium in Sokoto. It was all about imminent flooding and getting early warning messages out to people before things get messy.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Abubakar Junaidu, the Executive Secretary of Sokoto SEMA, stood in for Special Adviser Aminu Bodinga. His take: we need to act now to protect lives, homes, and the roads and bridges we all rely on.

And he’s not wrong. Sokoto has been hit hard in recent years. “We’ve seen various degrees of flooding here that have destroyed houses, farmlands, roads and other socio-economic assets,” Junaidu said. “It’s really hit the livelihoods of our most vulnerable people.”

The forecasts aren’t exactly comforting either. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency are both pointing to heavy rainfall and flooding in some parts of the country. That means preparation isn’t optional — it’s urgent.

Junaidu stressed that early warnings only work if they actually reach people quickly and in a way they can understand. “Local government authorities, traditional institutions, religious leaders, community-based organisations and the media all have critical roles to play,” he said. Basically, everyone needs to help spread the word on flood prevention and preparedness.

NEMA’s Director-General, Mrs Zubaida Umar, was represented by Tukur Abubakar, Head of Operations at the NEMA Sokoto Office. He dropped some sobering numbers: 132 local government areas across Nigeria are classed as high flood-risk zones, with another 148 LGAs in 14 states sitting in the moderate-risk category.

Sokoto is firmly on the watchlist. Goronyo, Gudu, Kebbe, Kware, Sabon Birni, Silame, Sokoto North and Wamakko LGAs were all named as particularly vulnerable.

“July to September is the most critical phase of the rainy season,” Mrs Umar warned. “There’s a real possibility of overflow from the River Rima, and that could threaten riverside communities, farmlands and critical infrastructure.”

So, what’s the plan? NEMA has pulled together its 2026 Climate-Related Risk Management, Preparedness and Mitigation Framework, based on seasonal forecasts from NiMet and NIHSA. It’s focused on boosting local emergency response, running simulation exercises, making sure people actually follow flood advisories, stocking up relief materials, checking vulnerable infrastructure, and mapping out community evacuation plans.

But Mrs Umar made one thing clear — government can’t do this alone. “Preventing avoidable flood disasters requires a whole-of-society approach,” she said. That means traditional rulers, religious organisations, women and youth groups, the media and private sector players all need to help push out early warnings and preparedness tips.

The engagement drew in everyone from government officials and traditional leaders to security agencies, development partners, civil society groups and media folks. All hands on deck to tighten coordination and get Sokoto better prepared.

The programme got support from SAHEL Agriculture and Nutrition Consultant.

Source: cbinews.tv

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