Following the 2024 flooding prediction by the federal government agencies, The ICIR’s Kehinde Ogunyale gathered data on ecological funds to state, analysed the 2024 states’ budget, and budget implementation report to spotlight allocations made for flood preparedness.

IN 2022, Jane Banigo was a victim of the devasting flood that displaced 1.4 million Nigerians from their home. The 54-year-old widow lost her house, and household properties, including her farm harvests to the floodwater that submerged Omoku, in Rivers state, where she lived. 

Her near-death experience with the 2022 flooding was worsened because she had to crawl on the ground to move from one place to the other, after losing her legs to a bacteria- Gangrene, which made her amputate it in 2011. 

“I do manage myself, there’s no help from anywhere apart from me going to the farm, I crawl in the ground to work on my farm, I crawl, I work, anything I come out to, I eat, the only thing is that the area I live is a flooded area, sometimes flood will carry everything we work through, the collected we get”, she told The ICIR.

For safety, Banigo had to temporarily live in a displaced camp set up by the government for flood victims in 2022, hoping that more preventive measures would be implemented by the government to avoid the reoccurrence of flooding. 

These expectations by Banigo are similar to millions of Nigerians who were affected by the 2022 flooding. Still, findings, from data gathered, show that with numerous allocations provided by both the state and federal governments, these expectations might be truncated in the event of flooding this year. 

Several media reports have recently captured flood-related incidences in states like Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, that submerged buildings and vehicles. 

2024 flood predictions 

According to the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency report on the 2024 annual flood outlook, 33 out of 36 states in Nigeria have been predicted to experience a high risk of devastating flooding between July and September 2024. 

NIHSA said that at least 135 local government areas (LGAs) have been mapped out as vulnerable to flooding this year.

Some affected states included Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and Yobe state.

Following this prediction, the National Emergency Management Agency said that the agency has begun to put in place proactive measures to mitigate climate impact 

The NEMA spokesperson, Ezekiel Manzo, told The ICIR that the agency has embarked on awareness and sensitisation with states at risk of flooding adding that meetings have been held with relevant stakeholders, including the state governments.

In 2022, more than 1.4 million people were displaced from over 33 states due to floodwater that submerged communities. Over 600 people were reportedly killed by the floodwater, while the federal government said that floods decimated 82,053 houses and 332,327 hectares of land were completely damaged. 

The economic impact on the country was estimated at $6.68 million, according to the World Bank. 

Ecological funds

The impact of this crisis raised several questions about the utilisation of ecological funds, estimated at N64 billion between 2021 and 2022, disbursed by the federal government to the 36 states monthly.

The ecological fund is disbursed to fund projects mitigating ecological-related problems like flooding. This is one per cent allocation from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) monthly disbursements shared within all government levels.

However, checks by The ICIR have shown that between January and May 2024, the federal government released a total of N15.83 billion as ecological funds to all 36 states. The amount is higher than the N12.94 billion shared between January and April 2023. 

States like Kano, Lagos, Borno, and Kastina received the highest allocation within this period, while states like Bayelsa, Kwara, Ondo, and Edo received the lowest allocation within the period. 

While there are no clear indications as to how these funds have been spent, Manzo mentioned to The ICIR that NEMA does not have control over these funds that are been utilised to address ecological issues. 

2024 states budget for flood control

The ICIR went further to check the 2024 budget for the 36 states which is pegged at N16.15 trillion. Findings from quarrying the budget, with specific keywords related to flooding, showed that a total of N59.16 was budgeted by the 33 states to address flood and erosion-related projects. 

Approximately, only 10 out of these 33 states allocated up to one per cent of their budget to address flooding. The highest allocation was made by Imo state with an allocation of N12.90 billion out of N592.23 billion of its 2024 budget for erosion and flood control. This is 2.18 per cent of its budget. 

However, from our findings, Adamawa, Katsina, and Kaduna did not provide any allocation to address flooding this year. 

Beyond the approval of these funds, The ICIR went further to check the first quarter Budget Implementation Report (BIR) of the 33 states on the allocations made. Our findings showed that only nine out of the 33 states have released some percentage of the allocation made. 

Table showing states that have released allocation for Erosion and Flood control. Source: BIR document .

This means that between January and March 2024, only Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Cross River, Edo, Enugu, Niger, Osun, and Sokoto states approved some percentage of flooding allocation to the respective commission supervising flood-related incidences. 

The effect of this may put many Nigerians living in the 22 states, where allocation has not been released, at risk of experiencing flooding whenever there is a heavy downpour; except the allocations are released during the second quarter. 

Climate expert reacts 

A flood risk consultant, Taiwo Ogunwumi, told The ICIR that finance is required for the development and implementation of engineering projects that can enhance mitigation and adaptation to flood.

He added that funds received can be used for creating wetlands and green spaces (in major cities) that can absorb excess water. 

“More funds can also be allocated to support GIS technology that can enhance prediction and early warning systems and communications. Lastly, the 2022 floods show a huge gap in the emergency response process; I believe some of this fund should be allocated into ensuring that emergency services and centres are well equipped and staff is trained to effectively handle flood events.”

Also, the Executive Director of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), Micheal Terungwa, added that said that the allocation made by the federal and state governments to address flooding is very little compared to the impact people experience due to the crises. 

“The issues with increasing food inflation can be associated with land degradation caused by flooding and erosion. Ariguclute is dependent on land and if you have land degradation it would affect farmers. The true cost of soil erosion can not be quantified and it impacts agriculture production, especially in the northern part of the country,” he emphasised.

Kehinde OGUNYALE

Kehinde Ogunyale tells stories by using data to hold power into account. You can send him a mail at [email protected] or Twitter: Prof_KennyJames