The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has called for increased investment in disaster preparedness and resilience mechanisms to reduce the impact of disasters in Nigeria.
He made the call on Monday at the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) held in Abuja, themed “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters.” The event, organized by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), had in attendance Members of the National Assembly, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, heads of stakeholder agencies, representatives of the United Nations system in Nigeria, and other 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.
Sen 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 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 Sen 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 the 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.
13th October, 2025
