Kashim Shettima calls for high investment in Nigeria’s disaster mitigation

Vice President Kashim Shettima calls for greater investment in strategies that enhance disaster preparedness and resilience to mitigate their effects in Nigeria. He also praised NEMA, led by Director General Mrs. Zubaida Umar, for its proactive approach.

At the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) event in Abuja, with the theme “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” he made his call. This event was hosted by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and was attended by various participants, including Members of the National Assembly, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, leaders of relevant agencies, representatives from the United Nations system in Nigeria, and other development partners.

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He said, “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.

“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.

“On behalf of President Tinubu, I commend the NEMA under the able leadership of Zubaida Umar. Where there is quality leadership that shows empathy, results will start to filter in. In NEMA, we have an organization that is mighty powerful.”

In her introductory speech, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, the Director-General of NEMA, emphasized the urgent need to transition from merely reacting to disasters to proactively investing in resilience-building measures.

She said, “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.”