The 36 states of the federation received about N32bn from the Ecological Fund in the first six months of 2026, findings by Sunday PUNCH have revealed.
This is amid persistent flooding across the country, which has claimed lives and destroyed property worth millions of naira.
The fund, allocated to states through the Federation Account Allocation Committee, is meant to address ecological challenges, including flooding, erosion, desertification, pollution and other environmental emergencies.
However, findings by Sunday PUNCH showed that some states spent little or nothing on flood and erosion control during the period, while others had yet to publish detailed expenditure reports for 2026.
The development comes as the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency and the National Emergency Management Agency intensify warnings over flooding, urging vulnerable states to deploy their ecological resources towards drainage clearance, flood prevention and emergency preparedness.
Data obtained from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation showed that the 36 states received about N32bn between January and June.
The allocations included N4.69bn in February, N5.01bn in March, N5.77bn in April and N5.38bn in June, while the amounts allocated in January and May totalled more than N11bn.
Local government councils also received allocations from the fund during the period, bringing total ecological disbursements to the two tiers of sub-national government to several billions of naira.
The Ecological Fund was established in 1981 following the recommendation of the Okigbo Commission as an intervention pool for addressing ecological problems across the country.
It initially received one per cent of the Federation Account before the allocation was increased to two per cent in 1992.
An additional one per cent derivation component was subsequently introduced, bringing the total to three per cent.
The fund is shared among the three tiers of government, with the Federal Government allocated 48.5 per cent, states 24 per cent and local governments 20 per cent.
The fund has since grown into one of the country’s major intervention pools.
Top recipients
An analysis of the January-June 2026 allocations showed that Kano received the highest amount, at about N1.91bn, followed by Kaduna with N1.58bn, Jigawa with N1.55bn, Borno with N1.50bn and Katsina with N1.48bn.
Bauchi received about N1.44bn, Niger N1.43bn, Benue N1.35bn and Kogi N1.33bn.
Lagos received about N1.25bn between January and May.
Overall, the 10 highest-recipient states received more than N15.5bn during the period.
The varying allocations reflect factors used in the revenue allocation framework, including population, landmass and derivation.
States such as Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Borno, Niger and Bauchi face persistent ecological challenges, including desertification and seasonal flooding, while Lagos faces significant coastal and urban flood risks.
However, despite the billions allocated to states grappling with persistent ecological challenges, available budget performance records raise questions about how much of the funds is being translated into actual flood and erosion-control interventions.
Little spent on flood control
In Jigawa State, which received about N1.55bn between January and June, the government spent nothing on erosion and flood control during the first half of the year, according to its second-quarter budget performance report.
The state had budgeted N100m for the purpose.
Its monthly ecological allocations were N209.92m in January, N192.50m in February, N247.15m in March, N309.89m in April, N287.24m in May and N302.22m in June.
Kaduna, which received more than N3bn from the Ecological Fund in 2025, spent only N178m on flood and erosion projects during the same period, representing about 5.9 per cent of its ecological receipts.
Bauchi, Niger and Benue had yet to publish detailed expenditure reports for 2026 as of the time of filing this report.
Lagos, which received about N1.25bn between January and May, saw several major drainage and flood-control projects record zero expenditure in the first quarter of 2026, according to the state’s budget performance report.
The apparent gap between ecological allocations and reported interventions is particularly significant given the recurring flooding across the country.
Lagos, for instance, experienced flooding in parts of Lekki, Ikeja, Oshodi and Ikorodu following heavy rainfall during the period.
In Ogun State, which received N94.6m from the Ecological Fund during the period, the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said he was not aware of the details of the allocation or its disbursement.
“I don’t know much about the fund because I don’t know how they disburse the fund and how much has been released,” he said.
Fresh flood alert
The Federal Government had earlier issued a flood alert, warning communities in 24 states and the Federal Capital Territory of possible flooding between September 27 and October 10, 2026.
The warning was contained in a flood prediction released by the National Flood Early Warning Systems Centre under the Federal Ministry of Environment.
It classified the affected communities into three categories — Critical Risk, High Risk and Moderate Risk Watchlist — based on their expected level of flood exposure.
States with communities under the Critical Risk category are Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo.
The FCT was placed under the High-Risk category, with Abuja Municipal, Abaji, Asokoro, Bwari, Garki, Gwarinpa, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kubwa, Maitama, Nyanya and Wuse among the areas listed.
Other states with communities under the High-Risk category are Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa and Kebbi.
The centre also placed communities in Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa on the Moderate Risk Watchlist.
About 14,000 communities were projected to face varying degrees of flooding.
The centre urged state governments and other stakeholders to take preventive measures, including clearing blocked drainage channels, desilting waterways and preparing emergency response mechanisms.
Transparency concerns
Environmental activists and experts questioned the transparency surrounding the management and utilisation of the Ecological Fund.
An environmentalist in Kaduna, Danjuma Dangwa, said state budget performance reports often failed to identify whether ecological projects were funded directly from the Ecological Fund.
“The ecological funds should be people-driven, targeted directly at where people can see that their exposures to environmental hazards are being properly mitigated,” he said.
The Executive Director of the Renevlyn Development Initiative, Philip Jakpor, said recurring floods should not be treated solely as natural disasters, arguing that weak governance, poor waste management and inadequate preventive planning were contributing to the crisis.
He called for a forensic audit of ecological fund disbursements and utilisation between 2023 and 2026, as well as an independent investigation into projects financed through the fund.
Jakpor said the findings should be made public and officials found culpable should be held accountable.
A Professor of Geography at the University of Maiduguri, Abubakar Manga, also questioned the visibility of ecological interventions across the country.
He said states and local governments had received substantial ecological allocations for decades, but their impact remained difficult to determine.
Manga contrasted the fund with TETFund interventions, which are often identified through project signboards and other forms of public disclosure.
“Where is that transparency with the Ecological Fund? It doesn’t exist. I remember decades ago, we used to see signboards marking ecological fund interventions, especially in erosion control projects in places like Maiduguri, but those are long gone,” the don said.
High-risk communities relocate
Meanwhile, some state governments have advised residents in flood-prone communities to relocate to safer areas to prevent loss of lives and property.
In Ogun State, the Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, said residents living along the banks of the Ogun River had been warned to relocate before the river overflowed its banks.
He said the government had specifically advised residents to move out during the last week of September and the first three weeks of October, when the river was expected to rise.
The commissioner also warned residents about the planned release of water from the Oyan Dam by the Ogun-Osun River Basin Authority.
According to him, the authority would release 17 million gallons of water daily throughout October, further increasing the risk of flooding in communities along the riverbanks.
In Kwara State, residents of Pututa community in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area, have begun evacuating their homes following heavy flooding that submerged farmlands, damaged buildings and killed livestock in the area.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that Pututa and four other communities in Lafiagi Ward — Tswako, Likpata, Godangi and Ekko — were affected by the flooding after heavy rainfall last Tuesday, with residents saying floodwater was still flowing into parts of the communities as of Wednesday.
A resident of Pututa, Isa Abubakar, told Sunday PUNCH that some residents had already left the community as the flood worsened, while others were still struggling to remain in their homes.
He added that the flooding had caused extensive damage to homes, farmlands and livestock, adding that the situation remained precarious as water continued to enter the community.
“It caused a lot of damage because most of our farmlands have been submerged, some buildings have collapsed, and we have also lost livestock. As of this moment, water is still flowing into the community,” Abubakar said.
The state government had earlier warned residents of vulnerable communities, including Jebba, Bode-Saadu, Kosubosu, Kaiama, Lafiagi and Patigi, to relocate to safer areas where necessary.
In Kaduna State, the State Emergency Management Agency had designated temporary shelters as part of measures to prevent loss of lives and property during the ongoing rainy season.
The Public Relations Officer of KADSEMA, Philips Dominic, disclosed this to Sunday PUNCH, saying the agency had mapped communities located close to major rivers and tributaries, as well as low-lying areas with poor drainage systems.
He listed Rafin Guza, Bashama, Unguwan Rimi, Barnawa, Kabala Costain and Romi among communities considered highly vulnerable because of their proximity to riverine areas and tributaries.
Dominic also identified parts of Tudun Wada, Barnawa, Rigasa and Sabon Tasha as vulnerable because of their low-lying locations and obstructed or uncleared drainage channels.
He cited the evacuation of residents of Askolaye as an example of the agency’s anticipatory measures, saying residents were initially reluctant to leave their homes.
In Gombe State, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, Haruna Abdullahi, said the state had taken preventive measures before the onset of the rains, including sensitisation campaigns, radio programmes, jingles and training for Local Emergency Management Committees.
In Benue State, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency, James Iorpuu, said the government had created awareness among residents living in flood-prone areas and advised them to relocate to safer places to avoid being caught unprepared.
“There have been training programmes on prevailing flood risk, and statistics of communities prone to flooding have been taken. Our men, including Red Cross and other organisations, have gone to the field taking the statistics of the flood-risk communities.
“We have already sensitised the people to remain alert, while advising those living in low-lying areas prone to flooding to move to higher ground,” he said.
Similarly, in Bauchi State, the government said it had strengthened its preparedness and response mechanisms to mitigate the impact of possible flooding across the state.
The Director of Disaster Management, State Emergency Management Agency, Adamu Nayola, told Sunday PUNCH that the state, through the Project Management Unit of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project, had intensified its flood preparedness following a warning issued by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency.
“The key to protecting people from flooding is awareness. That is why we invited religious organisations and traditional rulers to discuss with them and tell them what to do.
“We believe that they will go back to their communities and communicate the message to their people. They will work with us and the result will be positive,” he said.
Report by Dare Akogun, Olufemi Adediran, Toheeb Omotayo, Godwin Isenyo, Umar Sani, John Charles, Chima Azubuike, Maiharaji Altine, Emem Julius and Dele Ogunyemi.
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