The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) has warned that over 8,000 communities and approximately 4,500 schools across 15 states are at risk of flooding between September 19 and 25, 2026. The affected states include Imo, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Benue, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Enugu, Bayelsa, Kogi, Abia, Taraba, Rivers, and Lagos. This flood warning is not just an environmental concern but an education emergency waiting to happen.
Floods can disrupt classrooms, displace families, damage educational infrastructure, destroy books and learning materials, interrupt school feeding and transportation, and expose children and teachers to health and safety risks. Repeated disruptions can lead to significant learning loss and deepen existing inequalities for children living in vulnerable communities. Therefore, Nigeria must treat flood preparedness as an integral component of education planning to mitigate these effects.
The impact of floods on education can be extensive, with learners potentially losing weeks of instructional time, teachers unable to reach schools, and essential services like school-based support systems disrupted. Vulnerable households may experience increased absenteeism and permanent dropout due to prolonged educational disruption. NiHSA's state-level assessment shows the magnitude of the challenge, with 323 schools in Akwa Ibom, 1,308 in Anambra, 1,064 in Ebonyi, and 1,022 in Imo identified as vulnerable.
Climate education in Nigeria must move beyond being treated as just an environmental topic in science classrooms. It should prepare learners to understand risks and take action when those risks materialize. This includes children understanding basic flood warnings, teachers interpreting alerts and activating emergency procedures, and school administrators having risk maps and evacuation arrangements in place. Communities should also be involved in preparedness efforts, using schools as centers of resilience.
Nigeria's schools can play a significant role in building climate-resilient communities by incorporating measures such as emergency preparedness plans, safe evacuation procedures, water and sanitation management, and climate-smart infrastructure. The goal is to make schools safe, resilient, sustainable, and capable of continuing education despite climate-related disruptions. This requires stronger coordination between NiHSA, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, education authorities, and local governments.
The education sector must establish mechanisms to translate hydrological warnings into practical instructions for schools and communities. This includes quickly determining which schools are affected, communicating with school heads, protecting educational materials, and prioritizing learner and staff safety. The Institute for Greening Education in Nigeria (IGEN) emphasizes that preparing young Nigerians for a changing climate is an investment in the continuity and quality of the education system.
To address the threat of floods to schools, the Federal Ministry of Education and State Ministries of Education should strengthen climate-risk and disaster-preparedness components within education planning. SUBEBs should ensure vulnerable schools have practical preparedness and response plans, and teacher training institutions should equip educators with climate education and emergency preparedness competencies. Ultimately, climate resilience should become part of the everyday culture of schooling in Nigeria.
Key points
- Nigeria has over 4,500 schools at risk of flooding across 15 states, according to NiHSA.
- Climate education should prepare learners to understand risks and take action when those risks materialize.
- Schools can play a significant role in building climate-resilient communities by incorporating measures such as emergency preparedness plans and climate-smart infrastructure.
