FG warns: Early rains don’t signal start of rainy season

A flooded Lagos road

The Federal Government has warned Nigerians, especially farmers and others engaged in rain-dependent activities, not to mistake the recent rainfall recorded in parts of the country for the official start of the 2026 rainy season.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, issued the caution on Tuesday in Abuja at the public presentation of the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction and the 2025 State of the Climate in Nigeria.

Keyamo noted that although some areas in the southern part of the country had already experienced rainfall, such occurrences did not signal the formal onset of the rainy season.

“We have already seen some significant rains across the southern parts of the country this year. Let me reiterate that these should not be taken to mean that the rainy season has started in these places,” he said. Punch