…as NEMA unveils risk strategy plan
Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged governments at all levels, development partners, and private institutions to prioritise proactive disaster preparedness and resilience-building as cheaper and more sustainable alternatives to post-disaster relief.
The Vice President made the appeal during the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction held in Abuja, with the theme “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters.”
The event, organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), attracted members of the National Assembly, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, development partners, and heads of relevant agencies.
The ceremony also featured the unveiling of the National Emergency Management Agency Strategic Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030), which emphasise risk-informed development, innovative financing, and stronger institutional collaboration.
In a statement signed by Manzo Ezekiel, Head, NEMA Press Unit, Shettima underscored the urgent need for sustainable disaster financing and community resilience.
The statement reads partly: “It is wiser, cheaper, and more humane to prepare for disasters before they strike than to rebuild after they destroy. Every naira we spend today on preparedness saves many more tomorrow on response and recovery. Every investment in resilience is, in truth, an investment in the lives and futures of our people.
“We do not have to look far to understand this message. In recent years, we have seen floods wash away farmlands, erosion swallow roads, and fires raze markets that took years to build. These tragedies happen not in distant lands but in our own communities—to people we know, to families just like ours. Each of these disasters reminds us that if we fail to invest in resilience, we will continue to spend our scarce resources cleaning up after crises instead of building lasting prosperity.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has emphasised the need to treat resilience as a national policy priority. We are developing a National Disaster Risk Financing Framework to ensure that funding for prevention and preparedness is available when and where it is needed.
“Resilience cannot be guaranteed by government alone. It is built by all of us. It is reflected in how we plan our cities, in how businesses protect their workers, and in how communities share information and look out for one another.”
Shettima maintained that national resilience requires partnership across the public, private, and civil sectors, urging academia and research institutions to provide data-driven insights to guide effective decision-making.
He further emphasised the importance of collaboration with development partners, stating that Nigeria is deepening partnerships with the private sector and international organisations to enhance innovation and capacity for disaster risk reduction.
Commending NEMA for its proactive leadership, the Vice President hailed its Director-General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, for strengthening institutional response and preparedness across the country.
In her opening address, Mrs. Umar called for a decisive shift from reactive response to proactive resilience funding, noting that Nigeria faces increasing disaster risks from climate change, conflicts, pandemics, and technological hazards.
She explained that NEMA is collaborating with key stakeholders to develop a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform that would enable early warning systems, vulnerability mapping, and risk-informed investment decisions.
According to her, innovative financing models such as catastrophe bonds, insurance pools, and blended climate funds are being explored to sustain long-term resilience efforts.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State also emphasised the economic significance of sustained disaster funding, while the Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Disaster Management, Senators Kaka Shehu Lawan and Hon. Joseph Bassey, pledged continued legislative support to NEMA’s mandate.
The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to deepening collaboration with NEMA and relevant stakeholders to promote effective disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response nationwide.