Hauwa Ali
It started with three days of relentless rain. By the third night, streets in Port Harcourt had transformed into brown, churning rivers. Cars floated like toys, homes swallowed to their windows, and in Okrika—a riverine community just across from the oil city—mudslides tore through fragile hillsides.
The Guardian reported that neighborhoods such as Mile One, D/Line, Diobu, Agip, Rumuolumeni, Rumola, and Oyigbo were among the most affected so far in 2025. Roads became impassable, and markets closed as shop owners counted their losses. The Vanguard noted that properties worth millions of naira were destroyed, and hundreds of families were displaced overnight.
In Okrika and nearby settlements, the devastation was more than just property loss. Africanews confirmed that landslides triggered by the flooding killed at least 25 people, with many more feared missing. Rescue teams struggled against the swift current and unstable terrain, while survivors huddled in temporary shelters, clutching whatever possessions they could salvage.
While Port Harcourt’s disaster captured headlines, it was only a chapter in a grim, country-wide story. In recent months, Nigeria has faced a surge of flooding incidents—submerging farmlands, eroding infrastructure, and displacing tens of thousands from Lagos to Lokoja, Makurdi to Maiduguri.
In Niger state, pre-dawn downpours triggered an unprecedented flash flood in Mokwa—magnified by the collapse of a nearby dam and failure of an aging railway embankment. The torrent overwhelmed inadequate drainage systems and deforested areas, sweeping entire communities underwater.
In its aftermath, the human toll was staggering: more than 500 people killed, over 600 missing, and 121 injured, with 4,000+ homes destroyed. Roads, bridges, and vital infrastructure vanished in hours, leaving survivors stranded and exposed.
The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) had issued warnings as early as March 2025, predicting “above-normal” rainfall patterns and high flood risks in 31 out of 36 states. But as in previous years, these warnings often fell on unprepared ears.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), by mid-July 2025, more than 300,000 people had been directly affected by floods across the country. In Adamawa and Taraba, the situation was compounded by overflowing rivers; in Kebbi, Sokoto, and Niger states, collapsed embankments and blocked drainage worsened the impact.
In Nigeria’s flood narrative, dams—both domestic and foreign—play a pivotal role. One of the most discussed contributors is the Lagdo Dam in neighboring Cameroon. Each year, when water is released from Lagdo to prevent overflow, downstream communities in Nigeria’s Benue and Kogi states brace for impact.
But 2025 brought another dam-related disaster closer to home. In Niger State, part of the Shiroro Dam’s spillway infrastructure failed under pressure from torrential rain, unleashing a torrent that swept through villages downstream. Officials admitted that deferred maintenance and outdated engineering assessments left the dam vulnerable.
“Dams are meant to control floods, not cause them,” lamented Engineer Ahmed Musa, a water resource expert. “But when infrastructure is neglected and climate patterns shift, they can become dangerous.”
While infrastructure failures and poor urban planning are immediate culprits, climate change is the silent accelerator of Nigeria’s flood crisis. Meteorological data shows a steady rise in extreme weather events across West Africa, with more intense rainfall concentrated in shorter periods—overwhelming drainage systems and saturating soils.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) warns that climate-driven shifts in rainfall patterns are now a persistent trend, not an anomaly. Rising sea levels also threaten Nigeria’s coastal cities, particularly Lagos, where land subsidence and unchecked construction magnify flood risks.
Dr. Ifeoma Okonkwo, a climate scientist at the University of Lagos, puts it bluntly: “We are living in a new climate reality. Floods that used to be ‘once in a decade’ are now happening almost every other year. Without adaptation, it will get worse.”
Flooding in Nigeria is not just about nature—it’s also about people. In cities like Port Harcourt and Lagos, blocked drainage systems are a familiar sight, clogged with plastic waste and debris. Informal settlements spring up on floodplains, often without proper building approvals or stormwater management.
Government demolition exercises targeting illegal structures on waterways are common, but critics argue they are reactive rather than preventative. “We only hear about demolitions after people have died,” says environmental activist Ibim Harry. “What we need is proactive enforcement and public awareness campaigns year-round.”
The economic fallout of Nigeria’s floods is staggering. The World Bank estimates that annual flood damage costs the country over $2 billion in lost agricultural yield, destroyed infrastructure, and disrupted commerce. In 2025 alone, preliminary figures suggest damages could surpass $3.5 billion if recovery lags.
For farmers in states like Kebbi and Jigawa—key rice and wheat producers—the floods are a double blow. Not only are their fields submerged, but seed stocks for the next planting season have also been washed away. This has implications for national food security, potentially driving up prices in already strained markets.
While the scale of destruction may seem overwhelming, experts insist that solutions exist. These fall broadly into four categories: infrastructure improvement, early warning systems, urban planning reform, and climate adaptation.
Repairing and reinforcing critical dams, expanding drainage networks, and constructing levees in high-risk areas could significantly reduce flood impact.
Warnings from NiMet and NIHSA need to be more localized and actionable, reaching communities in real time through SMS alerts, radio broadcasts, and community liaisons.
Strict enforcement of building codes, relocation of settlements from floodplains, and large-scale waste management reforms are vital.
Climate adaptation strategies, including restoring wetlands as natural buffers, promoting rainwater harvesting, and developing resilient crop varieties for farmers in flood-prone zones, are crucial.
Some Nigerian communities are already taking matters into their own hands. In Delta State, residents of Patani have organized volunteer response teams that patrol during heavy rains, clear drains, and evacuate vulnerable households.
Similarly, in Kebbi, women’s cooperatives have adopted floating rice farming techniques, inspired by models in Bangladesh. “We can’t wait for the government to solve everything,” says cooperative leader Amina Sule. “We have to adapt ourselves.”
Ultimately, the success of any long-term strategy hinges on political will. Flood control projects often suffer from inconsistent funding, changes in administration, and competing policy priorities. Environmental experts argue that Nigeria needs a dedicated national flood management agency with the power to coordinate between federal, state, and local governments.
“Floods don’t respect state boundaries,” says Dr. Okonkwo. “Our response must be national, coordinated, and continuous—not seasonal.”
Back in Port Harcourt, as the water levels slowly recede, families are left with the daunting task of rebuilding. Many have no insurance, no savings, and no clear answers about where they can safely live.
For Chinyere Ogbonna, the memory of that night still feels like a nightmare. “We’ve seen floods before,” she says, “but never like this. It felt like the water wanted to swallow the whole city.”
With climate change intensifying and infrastructure weaknesses exposed, experts warn that unless Nigeria adopts an aggressive, all-year flood resilience plan, the catastrophe witnessed in Port Harcourt may soon be the rule rather than the exception.