The National Economic Council (NEC) has called for the immediate strengthening of State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) across Nigeria’s 36 states and urged the Federal Ministry of Finance to release emergency funds to mitigate the effects of the anticipated 2025 floods.
The resolution was disclosed on Thursday in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), following a presentation by the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, at the NEC meeting.
According to the statement, NEC emphasized that local government areas and communities must take proactive roles in risk mitigation, public awareness campaigns, and the prompt reporting of early flood warning signs to relevant authorities.
The council also mandated the Ministry of Finance to disburse funds to all states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and selected federal agencies to enhance preparedness.
NEMA highlighted its progress since 2024, including the creation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy and Action Plan (2024–2027) with the support of the United Nations, and the ongoing validation of the Nigeria Hazard Risk Countrywide Analysis. The agency has also intensified coordination with military and civil emergency responders, including the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigeria Red Cross.
Key 2025 preparedness activities include expert meteorological analysis, early flood predictions shared with state authorities from May to June, and the establishment of Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs). NEMA activated its Emergency Operations Centre on May 29, with both national and zonal centres now fully operational. The agency has also deployed search-and-rescue equipment to high-risk states and launched a grassroots early-warning campaign.
Despite these efforts, NEMA outlined ongoing challenges, such as poor drainage infrastructure, delayed data sharing from states, insecurity in flood-prone regions, and underperforming SEMAs and LEMCs. Other critical issues include weak enforcement of urban planning laws, inadequate environmental hygiene, and poor waste management.
In response, NEC urged state governments to strengthen SEMAs, operationalise LEMCs, enforce planning and building regulations, and promote regular environmental sanitation. It also stressed the importance of prioritising disaster preparedness in annual state budgets.
What You Should Know
The National Economic Council is proactively gearing up for potential 2025 flooding by directing emergency fund release and urging all states to reinforce their emergency management systems.
The move is part of a broader disaster preparedness effort led by NEMA to ensure local and national resilience.
