Amid flooding that has ravaged many Nigerian states, an investigation by NewsNGR has shown that sub-national governments have neglected flood control and prevention despite consistent and monthly multi-billion naira ecological funds allocation.
Nigerians have suffered overtime due to flooding.
According to the flood dashboard of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) seen by this newspaper, in 2025 alone, 272890 persons were affected by flooding incidents. The figure was broken down to include 51463 men affected, 108117 persons displaced, 84364 women affected, 280 lives lost, 126,905 children affected, 37958 homes affected and 45,562 farmlands affected.
As of the time of filing this report in 2026, different states have issued alerts to warn residents in various communities of flooding.
For instance, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the Anambra state Police Command urged parents and guardians to prevent children from crossing flooded roads, bridges, drainage channels and waterways during heavy rainfall.
The warning came as the Anambra State Ministry of Education mourned Master Success Ezenwafor, a pupil of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Primary School, who was swept away by a flash flood along the Isiagu axis of Awka-Nibo Road on September 22.
The Ministry of Education expressed sadness over the incident, describing the pupil’s death as a painful loss to his family, school community and the education sector.
In another instance, a devastating flood destroyed houses, farmlands and property worth billions of naira across communities in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, leaving no fewer than 134 families homeless.
The disaster struck after heavy rainfall caused the river around the community to overflow its banks.
The catastrophe in Ebonyi came barely 48 hours after a similar flooding incident was recorded in Mpu and Okpanku communities in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, killing two children from the same family and submerging no fewer than 14 villages.
Other states such as Ekiti, Ondo,Kwara, Edo, Delta among others have reported one flooding incident or the other. This Investigation deploys Federation Accounts Allocation Committee In Nigeria (FAAC) data, budget performance documents and flood control projects implementation of sampled states.
States Fail to Deploy Multi-Billion Naira Ecological Fund to Tackling Flooding
The Nigerian government every month disburses Ecological funds to state governments. The money is aimed at tackling Ecological issues such as flooding and erosion among others, however despite receiving billions naira, different governments at the sub-national level have failed to utilise these funds efficiently, worsening intervention that could have mitigated against loss of lives and properties.
For instance, the Enugu State government led by Peter Mbah received about N1.39 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) as its share of the Ecological Fund between January and June 2026. Despite this allocation, Governor Peter Mbah recorded only N295.17 million in expenditure on erosion and flood control during the same period. This would mean that it spent only 21% of the money it received as Ecological fund on tackling flood and erosion, according to data reviewed for this report.
The analysis of the state’s ecological fund receipts by NewsNGR is based on data from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The breakdown of the allocation shows that it received N188.7 million in January, N173 million in February and N222.2 million in March. The allocation increased to N278.6 million in April, while Enugu received N258 million in May and N271.7 million in June.
The six-month receipts amounted to approximately N1.39 billion. However, expenditure data published by the Enugu State Budget Office in its 2026 Quarter Two Budget Implementation Report show that N295.17 million was spent on erosion and flood control during the first six months of the year.
Ekiti State received N1.234 billion between January and June 2026 as Ecological funds but spent nothing on flood control in the same period, NewsNGR Newspaper review of FAAC Data reveals. The data shows that the monthly receipt by the South Western state is broken into N167 million in January, N153 million in February, N197 million in March, N247 million in April, N229 million in May and N241 million in June.
Ebonyi State in the South Eastern region of the country received N1.2 billion between January and June, 2026, it however did not spend any of it on flood and erosion control, according to official data reviewed for this report. The money received is broken into N167 million in January, N153 million in February, N197 million in March, N247 million in April, N229 million in May and N241 million in June.
Other states sampled includes Kwara state which received N1.23 billion within the six months under review as Ecological fund but spent nothing on flood control, per budget documents reviewed for this report.
Niger State received N1.6 billion as ecological funds between January and June, 2026 but spent N994 million of this money on flood control in the same period. NewsNGR gathered that as of the time of this report Mokwa and Ebbo in Lapai area of Niger State is affected by flooding with residents urging intervention.
While Kogi state known to be perennially affected by flood received N1.505 billion as Ecological fund between January and June, 2026, it spent nothing on erosion and flood control in the same period according to available data reviewed for this report.
Benue state got N1.551 billion as Ecological fund in the six months under review, however, nothing was committed to tackling flood and erosion. While Kaduna State got N1.8 billion as Ecological fund between January and June, 2026, it spent only N55 million on flood control in the same period. Enugu State received N1.39 billion as Ecological fund between January and June 2026, as of the same period it however spent only N295 million on erosion and flood control.
States Fail to Uphold Own Promised Financial Commitments to Tackling Flooding, Saving Lives
While the Nigerian government gives several billion naira for Ecological needs, governments at state level made promises towards the tackling of flood disaster through budget provision, promised projects listed for execution and targeted at tackling erosion and flooding; promises that they appear faltering at, based on data published in budget performance documents seen and reviewed by NewsNGR Newspaper.
For instance Anambra State, the state government spent just ₦135 million on erosion and flood control between January and June 2026, despite budgeting ₦5 billion for the intervention. This is based on a review of official budget performance documents.
The amount spent represents only 2.7 per cent of the total provision for erosion and flood control in the state’s 2026 budget, leaving about ₦4.865 billion unspent as of the end of June. Ebonyi State budgeted a paltry N1.2 million for erosion and flood control throughout the year.
Checks on the second quarter 2026 budget performance document of the Ondo State government shows a project was earmarked by the Ministry of Environment for purchase of drones for flood monitoring at tune of N7 million, with nothing spent on it as of half year. Further investigation shows that the state made provision in the sum of N1 billion for ‘erosion control infrastructure programme’ but spent nothing on it as of half year 2026.
The state also budgeted a sum of N750 million in 2026 targeted for ‘provision of states’ additional intervention on erosion control in Igbokoda, Irele’ under the New Map project office but spent nothing as of end of June 2026. Igbokoda is notoriously known to suffer from flooding. A resident of Ondo State Olatunde Ajao told NewsNGR newspaper that flooding has been recorded in different areas of the state this year, noting the impacts of such development on affected communities.
Taraba State budgeted N330 million on flood and erosion control for 2026 fiscal year but spent nothing between January and June 2026, a review of the budget performance document published by it shows. This investigation found that a separate sum of N500 million was budgeted for ‘provision of erosion control and gully reclamation projects in high risk areas’ but nothing was spent on the purpose between January and June 2026.
A sum of N1 billion was budgeted for ‘Provision of River Bank and Watershed protection works Maiyo Gwoi, Magami, Nukkai’ with zero naira spent as of half year. These projects are flood control in nature, and get neglected by the state government.
Flood Emergency Warnings Paints Urgent Need for Financial Commitment to Tackle Menace
The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) recently forecasted a severe risk of riverine flooding due to rising water levels in Imo, Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu, and Abia states.
While speaking on AriseTv, a former acting Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Air Vice Marshal Akugbe Iyamu (retd.), warned that despite available funds, states are not utilising it enough to tackle flooding.
According to him Nigeria has sufficient data and early warnings to prepare for flooding, but poor use of available funds and information continues to leave vulnerable communities exposed to displacement, destruction of homes and disruption of livelihoods
