By Unyime Robinson
The latest flood warning from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA) should command the urgent attention of policymakers, education authorities, school administrators and communities across Nigeria.
NiHSA has warned that more than 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 is not simply an environmental warning. It is an education emergency waiting to happen.
When floods enter communities, they do not stop at the school gate. They 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. For children living in vulnerable communities, repeated disruption can translate into significant learning loss and deepen existing inequalities.
Nigeria must therefore begin to treat flood preparedness as an integral component of education planning.
The immediate images associated with flooding are usually submerged roads, damaged houses and displaced communities. Less visible is the disruption to children’s education.
A school may remain physically standing but become unusable because access roads are flooded, sanitation facilities are contaminated, classrooms are damaged or families have been displaced.
The consequences can persist long after floodwaters recede.
Learners may lose weeks of instructional time. Teachers may be unable to reach schools.
Textbooks, computers, laboratory equipment and furniture may be destroyed. Examination schedules may be disrupted. Children who depend on school-based support systems may lose access to essential services.
For vulnerable households, prolonged educational disruption can also increase the risk of absenteeism and permanent dropout.
NiHSA’s state-level assessment illustrates the magnitude of the challenge. In Akwa Ibom, nine LGAs have been identified as vulnerable, with 323 schools among the facilities exposed. In Anambra, 1,308 schools are reported exposed, while Ebonyi has 1,064 and Imo 1,022.
These numbers demand more than emergency response. They demand a systematic approach to building climate-resilient education systems.
For too long, climate change education has sometimes been treated as an environmental topic that belongs primarily in science classrooms.
That approach is no longer sufficient.
Climate education must prepare learners to understand the risks around them and, importantly, to know what to do when those risks materialise.
A child living in a flood-prone community should understand basic flood warnings. Teachers should know how to interpret alerts and activate school emergency procedures. School administrators should have risk maps, emergency contacts and evacuation arrangements.
Communities should know how schools can serve as centres of preparedness and resilience.
Climate education must therefore move from awareness to action, from theory to preparedness, and from the classroom to the wider community.
Nigeria’s schools can play a much larger role in building climate-resilient communities.
Schools are among the most important institutions in local communities. They bring together children, teachers, parents, community leaders and government agencies. This makes them strategic platforms for communicating early warnings, developing preparedness skills and promoting environmental responsibility.
A climate-resilient school should progressively incorporate measures such as emergency preparedness plans, safe evacuation procedures, water and sanitation management, tree planting, school gardens, waste reduction, water conservation, renewable energy and climate-smart infrastructure.
The objective is not simply to make schools “green”. It is to make them safe, resilient, sustainable and capable of continuing education despite climate-related disruptions.
NiHSA’s flood forecasting and early-warning systems provide an important foundation. But an early warning is only effective when it leads to early action.
The education sector must establish mechanisms for translating hydrological warnings into practical instructions for schools and communities.
When a flood risk is identified, education authorities should be able to quickly determine which schools are affected, communicate with school heads, assess accessibility, protect educational materials, consider temporary learning arrangements and prioritise the safety of learners and staff.
This requires stronger coordination between NiHSA, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, the Federal and State Ministries of Education, SUBEBs, emergency-management authorities, local governments, school administrators and communities.
The latest flood warning should be a catalyst for a stronger national conversation about climate-resilient education.
The Federal Ministry of Education and State Ministries of Education should strengthen climate-risk and disaster-preparedness components within education planning. SUBEBs should ensure that vulnerable schools have practical preparedness and response plans. Teacher training institutions should equip educators with climate education and emergency preparedness competencies.
Most importantly, climate resilience should become part of the everyday culture of schooling.
The Institute for Greening Education in Nigeria (IGEN) believes that the future of education must be green, climate-informed, resilient and inclusive. Preparing young Nigerians for a changing climate is not an additional burden on the education system; it is an investment in the continuity and quality of that system.
Nigeria cannot prevent every flood. But we can reduce the disruption floods cause to children’s education. We can equip teachers with the knowledge to act. We can prepare schools before disaster strikes. And we can empower a generation of learners who understand both the risks of climate change and their capacity to build resilient communities.
Unyime Robinson is the Executive Secretary, Institute for Greening Education in Nigeria (IGEN)
PIX: Unyime Robinson
QUOTE: “A climate-resilient school should progressively incorporate measures such as emergency preparedness plans, safe evacuation procedures, water and sanitation management, tree planting, school gardens, waste reduction, water conservation, renewable energy and climate-smart infrastructure.
The objective is not simply to make schools “green”. It is to make them safe, resilient, sustainable and capable of continuing education despite climate-related disruptions.
NiHSA’s flood forecasting and early-warning systems provide an important foundation. But an early warning is only effective when it leads to early action.
The education sector must establish mechanisms for translating hydrological warnings into practical instructions for schools and communities.
When a flood risk is identified, education authorities should be able to quickly determine which schools are affected, communicate with school heads, assess accessibility, protect educational materials, consider temporary learning arrangements and prioritise the safety of learners and staff.
This requires stronger coordination between NiHSA, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, the Federal and State Ministries of Education, SUBEBs, emergency-management authorities, local governments, school administrators and communities.
The latest flood warning should be a catalyst for a stronger national conversation about climate-resilient education.”
Inline image
