Every rainy season in Nigeria carries with it an uneasy tension. For farmers, the rains are both a blessing and a curse: a promise of harvest on one hand, and a looming threat of devastation on the other. When the clouds release more than the soil can bear, fertile farmlands turn into rivers, crops are submerged, and the nation’s food basket is washed away. In a country where agriculture remains the backbone of rural livelihoods and a cornerstone of food security, floods are not just natural disasters—they are silent saboteurs of national stability. At the center of this unfolding challenge is the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), led by its Director General, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, which has been grappling with the task of saving not only displaced families but also the country’s fragile food chain.
The statistics are sobering. In 2022, Nigeria witnessed one of its worst floods in recent memory. Over 600 lives were lost, 1.4 million people displaced, and farmlands across Kogi, Benue, and parts of the North-West and South-South destroyed. Thousands of hectares of rice, maize, and cassava were wiped out, contributing to spikes in food prices and further weakening food security in a country already battling inflation. As 2024’s rainy season rolled in, the fear of a repeat scenario has forced agencies like NEMA to view flood response not only as a humanitarian imperative but also as a frontline battle for national food security.
Under Zubaida Umar’s stewardship, NEMA’s response has increasingly acknowledged this link between floods and hunger. Relief distribution is no longer confined to food items and temporary shelter; it now incorporates seeds, farming inputs, and rehabilitation support designed to help farmers return to the land once the waters recede. In parts of Nasarawa and Anambra, for example, beyond the mattresses and food rations, farmers were given seedlings to replant and rebuild their livelihoods. It may not erase the losses, but it shortens the journey back to productivity.
This recognition—that floods disrupt far more than homes—marks a shift in how disaster management is framed. Hunger, after all, does not only afflict the displaced; it ripples into markets, schools, and urban households. When farmlands in Benue are submerged, the scarcity is eventually felt in Lagos and Kano through soaring food prices. The humanitarian crisis therefore bleeds into the economic sphere, making flood response an issue of national development. NEMA’s role in cushioning this blow has been subtle but significant.
Still, the battle for food security is not one that relief distribution alone can win. Critics are right to point out that until Nigeria invests heavily in flood defenses, irrigation systems, and climate-smart agriculture, the cycle will continue. For now, however, NEMA serves as the last line of defense, the agency that meets farmers in their darkest hour and helps prevent temporary disaster from turning into long-term famine. Umar has repeatedly stressed the importance of coordination in this regard—working with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, state governments, and international partners to ensure that post-flood rehabilitation goes hand in hand with emergency aid.
In recent weeks, this coordination has taken practical form. The agency has been involved in mapping high-risk agricultural zones, pre-positioning relief materials, and engaging with farmer cooperatives in states most vulnerable to flooding. The idea is not just to hand out food to those displaced but to protect the very farmers who put food on Nigeria’s tables. By keeping an eye on agricultural communities, NEMA is effectively tying disaster response to food security—a linkage that policymakers often overlook until it is too late.
The challenge, of course, is scale. Nigeria’s farming population is vast, and many cultivate along riverbanks or low-lying areas because those lands are fertile. Convincing farmers to relocate or adopt flood-resilient practices is a slow process, complicated by poverty and tradition. While NEMA can distribute seedlings and relief items, the structural issues—such as weak enforcement of land-use regulations, poor investment in irrigation, and inadequate rural infrastructure—require whole-of-government action. Nonetheless, the agency’s interventions, under Umar, have provided a vital buffer in moments when the nation teetered on the edge of food shortages.
There is also an important psychological element to this work. For farming communities devastated by floods, receiving immediate relief and agricultural support signals that they are not abandoned. It restores a measure of confidence that government recognizes their plight. This confidence is essential for resilience; without it, many farmers might abandon agriculture altogether, further worsening food insecurity. By bringing a human face to post-flood recovery, NEMA under Umar has played a quiet but crucial role in sustaining agricultural morale.
The broader lesson is clear: food security cannot be divorced from disaster management. Each bag of rice delivered to displaced families is a temporary solution, but each seedling handed to a farmer is an investment in tomorrow’s harvest. This dual approach—meeting today’s needs while securing tomorrow’s food—reflects a vision of disaster management that extends beyond survival to sustainability.
Floods will continue to test Nigeria, perhaps with greater intensity as climate change worsens rainfall patterns. But the real test lies in whether the nation can safeguard its food systems against these shocks. In this ongoing battle, NEMA, under the leadership of Mrs. Zubaida Umar, is emerging as more than a responder of last resort. It is positioning itself as a defender of the country’s food security—a role that, if strengthened, could prove as vital as any other in Nigeria’s long struggle against poverty and instability.
Abdulhamid Abudllahi Aliyu
Press Unit
