Shettima Orders Activation of Flood Response Coordination Platform as Rainy Season Intensifies

Shettima Orders Activation of Flood Response Coordination Platform as Rainy Season Intensifies

Vice President Kashim Shettima has directed the immediate activation of the Fusion and Trigger Room concept to strengthen coordination and early action against flooding and other climate-related disasters across Nigeria.

The Vice President issued the directive on Thursday during a meeting of the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, emphasizing the need for a shift from reactive emergency response to proactive disaster preparedness as the rainy season reaches its peak.

Shettima, who chairs the AATF, said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to ensuring that preparedness, coordination and early intervention become central pillars of disaster risk management in the country.

He noted that climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and severe, stressing that government agencies must act before emergencies escalate.

“We are called to act early, to reduce losses before they multiply, and to protect vulnerable communities before crises unfold around them,” the Vice President said.

To achieve this, Shettima directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the AATF and other relevant agencies to begin technical consultations aimed at operationalising the Fusion and Trigger Room within NEMA. According to him, the platform will serve as a national hub for monitoring hazards, forecasting risks, coordinating decisions and activating early response measures.

The Vice President also instructed relevant institutions to immediately review and update implementation budgets in line with approved allocations and establish clear priorities for execution.

He stressed that resources approved for disaster preparedness must be released and deployed promptly, warning against delays that could undermine early response efforts.

“Anticipatory Action rises or falls on speed and readiness. To wait until disaster strikes before releasing what has already been approved defeats the purpose of acting early,” he said.

Shettima further called on state governments to actively participate in flood preparedness efforts, noting that federal intervention alone would not be sufficient to address the challenge.

“Preparedness cannot succeed without ownership at the subnational level. Federal coordination on its own will never be sufficient,” he stated.

Earlier, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, described the approval of funds for anticipatory flood action as a timely intervention and urged stakeholders to ensure effective implementation through collaboration with state governments.

Also speaking, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, commended President Tinubu’s administration for approving funds for flood preparedness, describing the move as a demonstration of political commitment and national ownership.

According to him, investments in anticipatory action have proven effective in protecting lives and livelihoods in communities vulnerable to disasters.

“Whenever Nigeria undertakes an initiative of this magnitude, it serves as a blueprint for the rest of the continent,” Fall said.

The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, assured stakeholders that the agency had already issued early warning alerts and was prioritising high-risk areas for intervention.

The meeting followed the recent approval by the National Economic Council (NEC) of an ₦83.2 billion intervention fund to support anticipatory actions against flooding and other climate-related emergencies across the country.

Shettima Orders Activation of Flood Response Coordination Platform as Rainy Season Intensifies