Report: Floods disrupted education of 2.2m Nigerian students in 2024

A new report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) says 2.2 million Nigerian students experienced school disruptions due to flooding in 2024.

The report, released on January 23, said that 242 million schoolchildren from pre-primary to upper secondary education experienced school disruptions last year due to climate events.

UNICEF said over 107 million children in Africa are already out of school, noting that climate-related disruptions in 2024 alone put an additional 20 million children at risk of dropping out.

The report said climate-induced disasters like heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, and floods led to the closures of schools in at least 20 countries in 2024.

The report found that heatwaves were the most significant climate hazard worldwide, affecting about 171 million students last year.

UNICEF added that April saw the highest global climate-related school disruptions, while September recorded the most frequent, with at least 18 countries suspending classes then.

The report observed that South Asia was the most affected region, with 128 million students affected by climate-related school disruptions, followed by East Asia and the Pacific region, where 50 million students were affected.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said at least 320 persons were killed and over 1,346 others were affected by floods in 2024.

The agency said flooding displaced more than 729 persons and damaged 119,690 houses in 34 states.

Nigeria also witnessed severe flooding that led to the death of 30 persons and the displacement of over 400,000 in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, in 2024.

The flood was caused by the collapse of the Alau dam in the state, which had been at full capacity prior to the incident.

Coastal erosion is not a novel phenomenon in Nigeria. In 2022, at least 300 people were killed and more than 100,000 people displaced following the flooding incident that occurred that year.