The National Economic Council (NEC) has called for the strengthening of State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) across the 36 states of the federation and urged the Federal Ministry of Finance to release emergency funds to address impending flood effects.
This was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha.
The council’s resolution came following a presentation by the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, on the country’s 2025 flood preparedness and response initiatives during the council’s meeting.
It added, Local government areas and communities were specifically directed to take ownership of local risk mitigation efforts, engage actively in awareness campaigns, and report early signs of flood risk to appropriate authorities.
NEMA’s presentation detailed the agency’s progress since 2024, including the production of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and Action Plan (2024-2027) with United Nations support, and ongoing validation of the Nigeria Hazard Risk Countrywide Analysis for 2024.
The agency has also improved civil-military coordination on disaster risk reduction and relief operations through partnerships with military disaster response units, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigeria Red Cross.
Key preparedness actions undertaken in 2025, according to the statement, include expert review and analysis of meteorological forecasts, with NEMA communicating flood predictions to state governments between May and June.
