Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa says his administration is taking proactive measures to reduce the impact of floods in the state.

Mr Namadi stated this on Monday in Dutse while fielding questions on the level of preparedness by the state for the 2025 rainy season.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had said the Guri Local Government Area (LGA) of the state fell within the high-risk flood in 2025, while 20 others were predicted to experience moderate-risk floods during the year.

Head of NEMA’s Kano Territorial Office, Nura Abdullahi, had stated this at a recent stakeholders’ engagement held in Dutse, with the theme: “2025 National Preparedness and Response Campaign on Flood and Related Hazards”.

Mr Abdullahi said the information was in accordance with Nigeria Hydrological Agency’s 2025 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO).

He listed the affected council areas as Suletankarkar, Garki, Taura, Jahun, Dutse, Kiyawa, Birnin Kudu, Buji, Gwaram, Kafin Hausa, Miga, Auyo, Kaugama, Gagarawa, Gumel, Maigatari, Birniwa, Malam Madori, Hadejia, and Kirikasamma.

Mr Abdullahi added that all 21 LGAs were predicted to experience flood between July and September.

The governor, however, said his government was taking preventive measures to reduce the impact of floods, particularly in all the predicted council areas.

Mr Namadi said the government had already constructed several embankments in all the flood-prone areas.

He also said that 150 out of the 300 kilometres of the Hadejia River had been dredged to allow the free flow of water during the rainy season.

“Here in Jigawa, it is not that we should wait until the flood occurs. No, we’re taking preventive measures, and these preventive measures are all over the state.

“We’ve done a lot of embankments in all the flood-prone areas; we’ve also done a lot of river dredging; the Kafin Hausa-Hadjia river and also the river from Dabi to Guri are all under dredging.

“We’ve also achieved 150 kilometres out of the 300 kilometres of the river,” he said.

Mr Namadi assured of his administration’s commitment to protecting lives, property, farmlands and other infrastructure from flooding and other disasters.

(NAN)