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| Photo shows L-R: Members of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bamidele Salam; Hon. Unyime Idem; Director General, NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima; Zamfara State governor, Dr Dauda Lawal and Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Yusuf Sununu on the occasion |
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has emphasized the urgent need for Nigeria to prioritize disaster preparedness and resilience investment to avoid costly relief efforts.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday, October 13, at the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR), themed “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” he urged proactive measures to mitigate disaster impacts across the country.
The event was hosted by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and attended by key figures, including National Assembly members, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, heads of relevant agencies, UN representatives, and development partners.
The occasion also featured the unveiling of the National Emergency Management Agency Strategic Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030).
Both documents are anchored on risk-informed development, innovative financing, and stronger institutional collaboration, ensuring that disaster risk management becomes an integral part of planning across all sectors.
Speaking at the event, Vice President Shettima emphasized that “it is wiser, cheaper, and more humane to prepare for disasters before they strike than to rebuild after they destroy.”
He stated: “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.”
The Vice President further noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has emphasized 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. We are also deepening partnerships with development partners, the private sector, and research institutions to drive innovation and resilience building at all levels.”
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| Photo shows L-R: Vice President Kashim Shettima; NEMA DG, Mrs Zubaida Umar; Zamfara State Governor, Dr Dauda Lawal; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Hon. Benjamin Kalu and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon.Bamidele Salam on the occasion |
Senator Shettima also emphasized the role of citizens and the private sector in fostering community resilience.
“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. This is why our private sector must see itself as a partner in prevention, embedding risk reduction into corporate planning and investment decisions.”
He urged academia and research institutions to produce data-driven insights for informed decision-making, and civil society organizations to raise awareness and hold institutions accountable.
The Vice President commended NEMA under the leadership of its Director General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, for being proactive and living up to its mandate of coordinating national emergency preparedness and response.
In her opening address, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, Director-General of NEMA, called for a decisive shift from reactive disaster response to proactive resilience funding.
She noted that Nigeria, like many nations, is facing increasing frequency and intensity of disasters driven by climate change, conflicts, pandemics, and technological risks.
Mrs. Zubaida Umar emphasized that resilience must be mainstreamed across all sectors - agriculture, water resources, energy, infrastructure, finance, education, and health.
“In this regard, NEMA is working with key stakeholders to develop a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform that will serve as a cross-sectoral system for early warning, vulnerability mapping, and risk-informed investment decisions. Equally important is the dialogue around innovative financing, exploring instruments such as catastrophe bonds, insurance pools, climate funds, and blended finance models that can sustain risk reduction efforts at scale,” she added.
In his remarks, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State stressed the economic importance of sustained disaster funding.
Similarly, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Special Duties, Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan, and the chairman, House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Hon. Joseph Bassey, in their separate remarks, commended NEMA for its leadership and assured continued support of the National Assembly toward strengthening the agency’s capacity.
The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to work closely with NEMA and other partners to promote effective disaster risk reduction and humanitarian response nationwide.
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