Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib Ahmed, has urged the 36 state governors to take proactive action to mitigate the effects of the impending floods.
Ahmed made the call at the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) conference held on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Abuja, where he sought the cooperation of the Executive Governors for preparedness for the 2023 flooding season.
He said, “I humbly seek the cooperation of the Executive Governor’s for preparedness for the 2023 flooding season…we seek to collaborate with NGF to establish a robust monitoring and evaluation framework which will enable NEMA and the NGF to track progress, assess the effectiveness of flood preparedness initiatives, and identify areas for improvement. Regular feedback and joint evaluation exercises will support evidence-based decision-making and promote accountability in disaster management efforts.”
The DG also referenced the country’s triple response structure for disaster and emergency management, highlighting the importance of State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Local Management Committees (LMCs) in ensuring effective disaster response at the state and local levels.
He noted that the nation was hit in 2022 with the worst floods in the history of Nigeria, which affected 29 of the country’s 36 states, damaged homes and infrastructure, destroyed farmlands, and displaced people from their communities. Figures from
The Nigerian Red Cross confirmed that at least 2.8 million people were affected, with 603 fatalities and more than 2,500 injured. Based on insights from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), NEMA has begun the “downscaling of disaster early warning measures to grassroots for effective live-saving early actions during the 2023 rainy season” across different states of the federation. The DG highlighted that there are existing provisions for interventions by subnational level actors, saying that each state and local government receives an allocation from the Ecological fund, which NEMA also receives. Consequently, there should be available funding to address disaster-related situations. Ahmed also sought to collaborate with NGF to establish a robust monitoring and evaluation framework which will enable NEMA and the NGF to track progress, assess the effectiveness of flood preparedness initiatives, and identify areas for improvement. Regular feedback and joint evaluation exercises will support evidence-based decision-making and promote accountability in disaster management efforts.