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The Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) programme has urged Bauchi State residents to embrace good environmental and sanitation habits to forestall flood disaster in the state.
The Project Coordinator, Dr Ibrahim Kabir, said this at a stakeholders’ engagement exercise, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, in Bauchi, the state capital.
He said the exercise was designed to enhance awareness creation on flood preparedness and response to mitigate flooding, protect the environment, lives and livelihoods.
Kabir said that the engagement exercise was a first line action employed by the programme following the NIHSA’s National Flood Advisory, which predicted flooding in 17 local government areas of the state.
He said that the prediction indicated flooding would affect 1,845 communities, 145 schools, 101 healthcare facilities and eight markets across the state.
The coordinator said that Gov. Bala Mohammed directed ACReSAL to liase with the Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and other line Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs) to upscale flood preparedness and response.
Kabir said that the exercise would enable the participants, including community and religious groups, development organisations, media and MDAs, to engage in rigorous sensitisation, discussions and pre-disaster training.
“It is envisaged that the outcome of the stakeholder engagement will guide the subsequent actions, as all involved will share experiences and provide a peculiar roadmap for the state,” he said.
Mr. Danlami Kawulle, the state Commissioner for Housing and Environment, said that the state government successfully mitigated flooding via similar stakeholder engagements during the previous rainy seasons.
He said that the state government has adopted proactive climate resilience initiatives to mitigate flood, control erosion, protect lives and properties.
While commending Gov. Bala Mohammed for his commitment to environmental protection, Kawulle pledged to cooperate with groups, communities and the media to prevent flood disaster in the state.
Also, Mr. Aminu Nayola, Executive Secretary, SEMA, said that the agency had scaled up community sensitisation as part of measures to avert the disaster.
He said that the agency was collaborating with NEMA and other agencies to enhance flood response services.
Similarly, Dr Mohammed Bose, Director-General, BASEPA, said that the agency had evacuated solid waste and cleared drains in Bauchi metropolis, to control flooding.
Bose urged residents of the state to shun indiscriminate dumping of waste, erection of structures on water ways, and plant trees to protect the environment.
On his part, Mr. Umar Sa’idu, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bauchi council, pledged media support to control flooding and other environmental hazards in the state.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has activated its National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to strengthen preparedness and response to flooding across Nigeria during the 2026 rainy season.
NEMA Director-General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, announced the activation on Tuesday while inaugurating NEOC team members at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Umar said the centre’s activation formed part of proactive measures to enhance emergency readiness and ensure effective coordination among stakeholders throughout the flood season.
She tasked the team with demonstrating diligence, professionalism and proactiveness in carrying out responsibilities critical to managing flood-related emergencies nationwide.
She said information generated by the centre must be accurate, timely and dependable to support effective decision-making and disaster management efforts.
“Information generated and disseminated from this centre must be factual, timely, and reliable to support effective decision-making and efficient management of disasters,” she said.
Umar stressed that credible and timely data remained essential for early action, rapid deployment of relief materials and protecting vulnerable communities from climate-related hazards.
She noted that effective information management would help safeguard lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure threatened by flooding and other extreme weather events.
Responding on behalf of the team, Deputy Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Mr. Tony Ephraim, pledged members’ commitment to continuous monitoring and information management.
Ephraim assured the Director-General that the team would maintain rigorous data collection, analysis and reporting to support prompt decisions during emergencies.
“We will sustain round-the-clock monitoring and ensure robust data analysis to support timely decision-making and coordinated national response efforts,” he said.
The NEOC will serve as the central operational hub for tracking flood developments and coordinating intelligence sharing among disaster management agencies.
The centre is also expected to drive collaboration among key stakeholders and strengthen national response mechanisms throughout the 2026 flood season.
By Amina Ahmed and Philomina Attah
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