The Senate on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, ordered a nationwide assessment of communities hit by flooding and erosion and directed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to assess damage to farmland, crops and livestock, ThisDay reported. The ministry was also asked to provide emergency grants to farmers who lost their livelihoods, with particular attention to Ebonyi State.
Three South-East Motions
The resolutions followed three related motions on Anambra, Ebonyi and Imo States, which the Senate later expanded to cover affected communities across the country, according to ThisDay. Senator Victor Umeh of Anambra led the motion on his state, citing at least four deaths in Ogidi, Obosi and Awka, submerged homes, and the destruction of farmlands, economic trees and cash crops.
Senator Anthony Ani of Ebonyi South described flash floods in late September 2026 that submerged residential, commercial and farming areas in his senatorial district. "Most of the agricultural crops were destroyed. Many livestock in the households were equally destroyed," Ani said, ThisDay reported. Senator Osita Izunaso of Imo West spoke on erosion affecting communities in Ideato North, Ideato South and Oguta Local Government Areas.
What the Senate Ordered
The Senate directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide food, potable water, temporary shelter, medical supplies and other relief materials to displaced residents, ThisDay reported. The Federal Ministry of Works was asked to rebuild damaged roads and restore access to cut-off communities, while the Federal Ministry of Environment was directed to carry out technical assessments and flood and erosion control works. The Senate Committees on Environment, Works, and Ecology and Climate Change must conduct on-the-spot assessments nationwide and submit their findings within one month. Lawmakers observed a minute's silence for the victims.
Rice Farms Under Water in Ebonyi
Community accounts from Ebonyi point to heavy farm losses. In Enu Uburu Autonomous Community, Ohaozara Local Government Area, the town union said about 5,000 hectares of rice farms were submerged and washed away after torrential rain between September and October 2026, The Sun reported on October 8, 2026. The union estimated the loss to agricultural investments at more than ₦12.5 billion and said the season's harvest, farmers' loans and life savings had been lost. It appealed to NEMA, the Ebonyi State Emergency Management Agency and the federal and state governments for help.
A Forecast Risk
The danger was flagged months ago. The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency's 2026 Annual Flood Outlook put 4.2 million hectares of cropland at risk and listed 11,575 communities in 31 states at risk of flooding in October and November, The Gazette reported on April 23, 2026. At the time, Suleimon Arigbabu, executive secretary of the HEDA Resource Centre, warned rice farmers in floodplain states to harvest before October.
FoodPrices Nigeria tracks rice, garri, yam and other staples across Lagos markets. Crop losses in producing states such as Ebonyi can tighten the supply of staples that eventually reaches Lagos traders.
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