By Fresh Facts Magazine Staff
In a farming community in Dikwa, Borno State, residents still recall the shock of discovering an unexploded bomb on their farmland earlier this year—a grim reminder of how insecurity and disasters often converge to endanger ordinary Nigerians. In Benue and Nasarawa, annual floods have forced families to abandon homes, schools, and businesses. Meanwhile, in Plateau State, violent attacks have displaced thousands, leaving behind widows, orphans, and shattered livelihoods.
These are the realities the Federal Government says it wants to change.
On Tuesday in Abuja, the government launched a new roadmap—the National Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Strategy (2025–2030) and Action Plan (2025–2028)—to move Nigeria away from its traditional “fire brigade” approach of reacting to crises after they happen, toward a more proactive and preventive model that protects people before disasters strike.
At the unveiling, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar, represented by Dr. Ishaya Chonoko, warned that the country’s growing risks—from floods and droughts to pandemics, conflicts, and the impacts of climate change—pose serious threats to lives, livelihoods, and even national stability.
“These risks are no longer abstract. They affect farmers who lose entire harvests, traders whose shops are destroyed, children forced out of school, and communities displaced overnight,” Umar said. “This strategy is about building resilience so that Nigerians can live, work, and thrive without being set back each time disaster strikes.”
The DRR strategy, aligned with the global Sendai Framework, promises stronger early warning systems, better coordination among agencies, and targeted support for vulnerable groups. Crucially, it calls for partnerships across government, civil society, the private sector, and local communities.
For the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which supported the process, the stakes are equally high. Its Nigeria Resident Representative, Ms. Elsie Attafuah, described the strategy as “a blueprint for action,” emphasizing that disasters must not continue to derail development. Represented by Mrs. Ibironke Olubamise, Attafuah noted that UNDP has already backed more than 220 community-driven environmental projects in 30 states, ranging from flood control initiatives to climate adaptation schemes.
She also revealed that Nigeria’s ongoing National Disaster Loss and Damage Database has documented over 45,000 disaster incidents nationwide, including floods, droughts, oil spills, and conflicts. With the population projected to exceed 250 million within five years, she cautioned that “the scale and severity of risks will only grow unless we act decisively.”
Science and technology, too, will play a pivotal role. Mr. Ademuyiwa Oyewumi of the National Space Research & Development Agency (NASRDA) said satellite data and geospatial mapping are now essential tools for predicting and managing hazards. “From tracking flood plains to monitoring fire outbreaks, space technology can help us save lives and prevent avoidable losses,” he said.
For many Nigerians who have lived through repeated cycles of loss—families displaced by floods in Lokoja, market women counting losses after fire outbreaks in Lagos, or farmers in Katsina struggling with desert encroachment—the success of this plan could mean the difference between resilience and ruin.
As Umar put it: “This strategy must not remain on paper. It has to be a living tool that empowers institutions, protects communities, and ensures that no Nigerian is left behind.”
