The Vice President Kashim Shettima has directed the immediate activation of the Fusion and Trigger Room concept to strengthen coordination and early response to flooding across Nigeria as the rainy season intensifies.
Shettima gave the directive on Thursday during a meeting of the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He also ordered the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the AATF and other relevant agencies to review their budgets within approved allocations and set clear implementation priorities.
He said the Tinubu administration was committed to shifting from reactive emergency response to proactive disaster preparedness, stressing that preparedness, coordination and early action must become the country’s standard approach to managing flood and climate-related risks, according to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nwocha.
The VP said technical consultations should begin immediately to operationalise the Fusion and Trigger Room within NEMA as a national platform for monitoring hazards, forecasting risks, coordinating agencies and activating early interventions before disasters escalate.
He also directed relevant institutions to fast-track the release and deployment of approved funds, warning that delays in accessing resources undermine anticipatory action.
“To wait until disaster strikes before releasing what we have already approved is to defeat the very purpose of acting early,” he said.
Shettima further urged state governments to take ownership of flood preparedness by leading implementation within their jurisdictions, noting that federal coordination alone would not be sufficient to tackle the challenge.
“I call on our State Governors and state institutions to participate actively and to lead implementation within their jurisdictions. Federal coordination on its own will never be sufficient.
“As Chairman of the national coordination effort, I will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure that political leadership is translated into practical outcomes and into preparedness that can be measured on the ground,” he said.
According to Nkwocha, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, described the Federal Government’s approval of funds for anticipatory flood action as a timely intervention, calling for coordinated implementation through the national social register and digital payment platforms in collaboration with state governments.
Also, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Fall, commended the Federal Government for approving funds for early flood response, describing the move as a demonstration of political commitment and national ownership.
He said investment in anticipatory action had proven effective in protecting lives and livelihoods.
“On behalf of development partners, I want to express our gratitude to Nigeria for always showing the way. I always say that whenever Nigeria does something of this magnitude, it serves as a blueprint for the rest of the continent; that is why the approval for this anticipatory action is so significant to us all,” Fall said.
Also speaking, the Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, said the intervention fund approved by the National Economic Council (NEC) would help prevent loss of lives and protect livelihoods, adding that the agency had already identified vulnerable communities and issued early warning alerts.
Nkwocha further noted that NEC had at its last meeting approved an N83.2 billion intervention fund to support anticipatory actions against flooding nationwide.
