- FG predicts 15m Nigerians at high risk of floods in 2025
- Directs MDAs to outline financial needs
- Military can’t end crisis in Plateau, North East, says Shettima
Frightened by expert warnings over an imminent flood disaster in the country, President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate release of a whopping N15 billion to avert the looming national calamity.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking at a workshop on strengthening coordinated risk monitoring and flood response, held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, Auditorium, Abuja.
He said that, because of the importance of the assignment, he had directed relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government to collaborate and outline their financial needs so he could personally lead them to meet with the President for further discussions.
He stated that President Tinubu had welcomed strong collaborations to prevent the anticipated floods by combining technical expertise, financial resources, and operational capacity within the government and with the nation’s development partners.
The Vice President described Nigeria as fortunate to have Senator Tinubu as President, considering the leadership roles he is playing.
According to him, “President Tinubu is an asset to the nation, what he needs at this stage is our collective support to take the country to the promised land. The Armed Forces are working round the clock to tackle our security challenges, but they cannot do it alone without our support.”
He declared that “the validation workshop for Nigeria’s Anticipatory Action Framework is notb merely a gathering of technical minds and policy actors – it is a wake-up call, a call to reflect on how we protect our people, preserve livelihoods, and secure our shared future.”
According to him, “last year alone, floods affected over five million people. They displaced 2.3 million Nigerians, destroyed more than 450,000 hectares of farmland, and forced 1.2 million children out of school. This is not some scenario for an academic exercise. This was our reality. The victims represent all of us, our futures, and a national economy under immense strain.
“For decades, our response to floods and other climate-induced disasters has been reactive. Our preparation is either inadequate or we are caught unaware. We wait for the waters to rise, for the homes to vanish, and then we scramble for relief.”
“This late arrival of support costs more and saves fewer lives. The economic impact is no less staggering. We lose close to 5% of our GDP every year to reactive disaster responses. This approach is not only unsustainable; it is also deeply unjust to the most vulnerable among us.”
“This is why we must act before disasters unfold. Studies have shown that anticipatory action can reduce losses by up to 60 percent. That is not just a statistic. It is hope. It is the future of millions salvaged before ruin. It is the logic behind this shift, championed by our administration under the reassuring leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
He further explained that “this shift was no longer a dream and as such all…”
According to him, “in Benue State, we have already seen its impact. Trained volunteers, responding to early warning alerts, successfully evacuated over 80,000 people within 72 hours. That is what it means to build early warning systems that work. It’s not just about integrating forecasting tools, but delivering timely alerts in languages our people understand, with clear instructions and trusted local networks. This reduces chaos and minimises loss.”
“Our Anticipatory Action Framework stands on three strategic pillars. The first is early warning systems powered by satellite technology and delivered through community-based networks to provide life-saving information in real time.
“The second is pre-triggered financing. No plan can succeed without resources made available before the storm arrives. We are ensuring that funding is in place to support swift, effective action. The third is localised preparedness. Our states and communities must be empowered not only as recipients of aid, but as frontline responders equipped with tools, authority, and autonomy.”
“The success of this strategy rests on establishing a dedicated trigger group, comprising NiMet, NiHSA, NEMA, NASRDA, NOA, and trusted partners such as UNOCHA, WFP, FAO, and the IFRC. This group will synthesise real-time meteorological and hydrological data, enabling forecasts 10 to 14 days in advance. This is, no doubt, the time for innovative thinking.
“The innovation we seek is one where preparedness is further reinforced by rigorous field testing. This we can achieve when NEMA, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Nigerian Red Cross work together to map high-risk communities and pilot early-action cash transfers targeting over 300,000 households.”
The Vice President, who also condemned the recent heinous attacks in Plateau State, expressed the sympathy of President Tinubu to the affected families.
He, however, advocated a non-kinetic approach to tackling the security challenges on the Plateau and North East.
According to him, “There can never be a military solution to the crisis in Plateau, North East.”
Speaking on the importance of the workshop, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said a taskforce set up to mitigate the looming flood disaster was working tirelessly to develop a framework that “seeks to improve risk monitoring and also to harmonise the coordination of Anticipatory Action Response across all spheres to ensure the achievement of the desired.”
According to him, “the imperative of early warning systems and timely response in mitigating the impact of disasters on vulnerable populations, and the groundbreaking role of the Anticipatory Action Taskforce in achieving this.
“Disasters, be they natural or man-made, usually strike without prejudice, often with devastating consequences for those least equipped to withstand them. Vulnerable populations, including marginalised or underserved communities – men, women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities – bear the brunt of these catastrophes. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we move beyond reactive measures and embrace proactive strategies that save lives, reduce their suffering, and preserve their livelihoods.”
Last week, the Federal Government predicted heavy rains and floods in 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The high-flood risk states are: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, said coastal and riverine flooding would be experienced in some parts of the South-South geopolitical zone of the country due to a rise in sea level.
Among these states are Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers while Akwa-Ibom and Edo fall under the high-flood risk states.
