The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) warned that some regions in the country will experience drought this year, which could lead to crop failure and food shortages.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, while unveiling the seasonal climate prediction 2021 document produced by NiMet in Abuja on Tuesday, said available evidence showed that some areas prone to floods would experience it at the peak of the rainfall.
Addressing the theme ‘Supporting the economy to cope with the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria’ the minister warned that there would be dry spell in seven states, which might last for about 15 days in some places.
According to him, it is extremely important to prevent loss of crops or ignore flooding which may wipe away houses, businesses and farmlands.
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He disclosed that the earliest onset of the raining season would be on March 1, 2021 along the coastal lines of the country.
“What we recorded last year is going to be what we will record this year, but what is more important is the likelihood of dry spell, which is going to be greater compared to what we had last year in terms of spatial coverage and more places are likely going to be affected,” he said.
“This year, severe dry spells are predicted in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe, and Borno in June and July which may last between two and three weeks after the onset.
“So, the implication of this is the likelihood of crop failures and even if crops don’t die completely, their growing capacity is going to be affected. Farmers should adopt soil-moisture conservation techniques to reduce the chances of crop failure during this period,” Sirika said.
According to him, the length of the growing season will vary from 110 days in the North to over 300 days in the South.
He explained that this means that on the average, those in the North should not plant crops that would take more 100 days to mature while those in the South have the opportunity to probably plant crops twice since they have over 300 days.
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Sirika said, “The 2021 onset of the growing season is predicted to be normal to earlier than normal in most parts of the country.
“The earliest onset date is likely to occur on the 1st March 2021 along the coastal line of the country while the latest date is anticipated to be around 29th June in the northernmost parts of the country.’’
“However, later-than-normal onset dates are expected over a few places such as parts of Lagos, Ogun, Kebbi and Niger States.
“The earliest cessation date is around 9th October 2021 and it is expected around Katsina and the northern parts of Sokoto while the latest cessation date is expected on the 25th December 2021 over the Niger-Delta region.”
Speaking on the likelihood of flood, the minister said, “It has also been observed that there will certainly be flooding and I urge stakeholders to go through the predictions. Flooding is bad news for our houses, farmlands and businesses and I think we should be very serious about it.
“The normal to above normal rainfall pattern in the country will lead to the possibility of isolated flash floods due to increasing high-intensity rainfall at the peak of the season, especially in areas that are naturally prone to flooding.”
