The Federal Ministry of Environment has predicted a downpour in 15 states that can cause flooding between now and July 7.
Dr Morohunkeji Oyeleke, the Deputy Director, Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management Department, made the prediction in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.
Oyeleke said that some states and their environs would be affected if adequate and necessary precautions were not properly adhered to.
She identified areas that could be affected to include Demsa, Ganye, Jimeta, Mayo, Belwa and Mubi in Adamawa, and Ekeremo, Kolokuma-Opokuma and Yenegoa in Bayelsa.
Others are Gburuku, Gboko, Igumale and Makurdi in Benue, Gumel, Hadejia and Miga in Jigawa, as well as Akoko-Edo, and Sabongida-Orra in Edo.
She also listed Akwa-Ibom and its environs, Abakaliki, Echara, Onu and Afikpo in Ebonyi, Egbeme, Nworieubi and Okigwe in Imo.
Others are Oyo town, Ibadan and its environs, Lagos and its environs, Calabar, Obubra, in Cross-River.
Also to be affected are Rivers and its environs, Azare, Bajoga, Jamaare and Tafawa-Balewa in Bauchi State, Katsina and its environs, Bomadi, Escravos, Forcados, Sapele, and Ughelli in Delta.
The deputy director appealed to the governments of the respective states to take necessary precautionary measures to avoid loss of lives and property, noting that previous warnings had saved lives and property.
Oyeleke said that the roundtable of the Dams and River Basin stakeholders held in May had helped to create awareness on future occurrence of flooding.
According to her, the ministry has been receiving verbal reports from various state governments on how the forecast has helped to prevent loss of lives and property.
She further said that an alert had been sent to areas likely to experience windstorm during the rainy season and stressed that any change in the prediction would be announced as weather forecasting was based on probability.
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