Shettima tasks NEMA, others on early flood response action

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant agencies to activate early actions to curb flooding in the country.

Shettima gave the directive on Thursday during a meeting of the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National Economic Council (NEC), on June 18, approved N83.2 billion intervention fund for the implementation of anticipatory actions against flooding.

The Vice-President, who chairs the AATF, urged the task force, NEMA and other agencies to immediately review and update their budgets in line with the approved allocations and establish clear implementation priorities.

He stressed the need to shift from reactive emergency response to proactive preparedness.

According to him, the direction of President Bola Tinubu’s administration leaves no room for ambiguity in combating flood and other climate-related disasters.

“Preparedness, coordination and early action must become the standard practice of how risk is governed in the country,” he said.

Shettima noted that climate and disaster risks were becoming more frequent and severe, adding that government could no longer limit its role to responding only after emergencies occur.

“We are called to act early, reduce losses before they multiply and protect vulnerable communities before crises unfold around them,” he said.

Shettima said that Nigeria needed an institutional mechanism to anticipate hazards, consolidate data, coordinate decisions and activate action before emergencies escalated beyond the nation’s reach.

“I am directing that technical consultations begin at once to operationalise the Fusion and Trigger Room concept within NEMA as a national platform for coordination and early action.

“This platform should anchor our monitoring, our forecasting, the activation of triggers, the coordination across agencies, and the decisions that follow from them,” he added.

Shettima further directed relevant institutions to expedite the release and deployment of approved resources for preparedness and early response.

“The anticipatory action, therefore, rises or falls on speed and readiness. Resources intended for preparedness and early response must be available at the precise moment they are required.

“To wait until disaster strikes before releasing what we have already approved is to defeat the very purpose of acting early.

“I am therefore directing the relevant institutions to work closely together to expedite the release and deployment of approved resources.

“And to ensure that implementation timelines are never held hostage by administrative delay,” he said.

He also called on state governments to take ownership of preparedness efforts, noting that federal coordination alone would not be sufficient.

“I call on our State Governors and state institutions to participate actively and to lead implementation within their jurisdictions. Federal coordination on its own will never be sufficient.

“As Chairman of the national coordination effort, I will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure that political leadership is translated into practical outcomes,” he said.

Earlier, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Bernard Doro, described the approval of funding for anticipatory flood actions as a timely and bold intervention.

Doro emphasised the need for central coordination in implementing programmes and activities under the initiative.

Also speaking, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Fall, commended President Tinubu for approving the funding.

He said the decision demonstrated political commitment, national ownership and practical action toward disaster risk reduction.

According to him, investment in anticipatory action is both a smart decision and an investment in the future.

Fall noted that lives, livelihoods and communities had been protected in places where preventive measures were implemented ahead of disasters.

“On behalf of development partners, I want to express our gratitude to Nigeria for always showing the way.

“I always say that whenever Nigeria does something of this magnitude, it serves as a blueprint for the rest of the continent, that is why the approval for this anticipatory action is so significant to us all.”

In her remarks, the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, said the approved funds would help prevent loss of lives and protect livelihoods.

She added that the agency had identified vulnerable areas and issued early warning alerts ahead of the flood season.