The Senate has called for a coordinated national response to flooding and erosion, asking its relevant committees to assess affected communities and report back within one month while urging emergency agencies to assist displaced households.
The resolution followed three motions describing severe damage in Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo states. Lawmakers expanded the proposed assessment beyond the South-East after acknowledging that destructive floods and erosion affect communities throughout Nigeria.
The Senate’s committees responsible for environment, works, ecology and climate change, working with other appropriate committees, were tasked with visiting damaged locations and recommending interventions. The National Emergency Management Agency was urged to provide food, clean drinking water, temporary accommodation, medical supplies and other immediate relief.
Lawmakers also called on the Federal Ministry of Works and related agencies to inspect and restore washed-out roads, reconnect isolated communities and improve drainage. The Ministry of Environment was asked to pursue technical studies and sustainable erosion-control measures, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security was urged to assess lost crops and livestock, particularly in Ebonyi, and consider emergency assistance for affected farmers.
Senator Victor Umeh, who raised the Anambra situation, said at least four people had died, including a pregnant woman and a six-year-old pupil of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Primary School in Awka. He described submerged homes, displaced families and damage to farms, economic trees and roads in areas including Ogidi, Obosi and Awka.
Umeh also drew attention to rapidly expanding gullies, one of which he said exceeded 60 meters in depth. He sought urgent attention to the Onitsha–Ogidi–Awka federal road and appealed for federal ecological intervention to prevent further losses and disruption to schools, trade and other essential activities.
Representing Ebonyi South, Senator Anthony Ani described flash floods in late September 2026 that caused rivers to overflow and destroyed residential areas, farmland, crops and livestock. He said families dependent on agriculture were particularly vulnerable and called for relief, agricultural grants and legislative monitoring of the response.
Senator Osita Izunaso said communities in Imo West continued to suffer despite his earlier appeal in 2023. He named Urualla, Obodoukwu, Osina, Abolo, Imo Chima, Imo Eshi, Ise Kenesi, Oso Obodo, Oguta Amishi, Nnefuku and Nkosi among affected locations in Ideato North, Ideato South and Oguta. Damaged roads, he warned, had created hazards for motorists and pedestrians and contributed to accidents.
The lawmakers called for longer-term ecological rehabilitation supported by federal funding, rather than a response limited to distributing relief materials after each disaster. The chamber also observed a minute’s silence for those who had died.
The one-month committee review is intended to clarify the scale of damage and the responsibilities of federal agencies. Implementation will depend on whether the recommendations lead to funded projects, monitored relief distribution and durable flood-control infrastructure.
