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FG Moves To Curb Flood Disasters, Climate-Induced Crises As VP Shettima Launches Preemptive Action Plan

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FG Moves To Curb Flood Disasters, Climate-Induced Crises As VP Shettima Launches Preemptive Action Plan

By: Our Reporter

As the rainy season sets in, with its attendant torrential downpour, the federal government has taken proactive steps to prevent flooding through strategic measures to enhance disaster preparedness and risk management across the country.

To this effect, Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday launched Nigeria’s Anticipatory Action Framework, designed to shift disaster management from reactive responses to proactive preparedness by leveraging early warnings, local empowerment, and pre-arranged financing to save lives and livelihoods.

A key component of the strategy involves establishing a dedicated trigger group comprising meteorological and emergency management agencies that will synthesise data to enable forecasts up to two weeks in advance.

Speaking during a framework validation workshop held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser in Abuja, VP Shettima described the framework as a timely intervention to confront the rising threats of climate-induced disasters such as floods, which affected over five million Nigerians in 2024.

“These disasters are no longer distant threats. They are here, knocking at our doors, sweeping through our streets, flooding our homes, and testing not only our moral sensitivity but the depth of our preparation,” he said.

The Vice President stressed the urgent need to dump the costly and inadequate reactive approach to disasters for a more proactive measure.

He stated, “For decades, our response has been reactive. We wait for the waters to rise, for the homes to vanish, and then we scramble for relief. This late arrival of support costs more and saves fewer lives.

“We lose close to 5% of our GDP every year to reactive disaster responses. This approach is not only unsustainable, it is also deeply unjust to the most vulnerable among us. This is why we must act before disasters unfold”.

The VP explained that the new framework is built on three strategic pillars, including “early warning systems powered by satellite technology and delivered through community-based networks to provide life-saving information in real time.

“The second is pre-triggered financing. No plan can succeed without resources made available before the storm arrives. The third is localised preparedness.

“Studies have shown that anticipatory action can reduce losses by up to 60 per cent. That is not just a statistic. It is hope. It is the future of millions salvaged before ruin,” he added.

Senator Shettima drew instances from Benue State where trained volunteers, responding to early warning alerts, evacuated over 80,000 people within 72 hours.

“That is what it means to build early warning systems that work. It’s not just about integrating forecasting tools, but delivering timely alerts in languages our people understand,” the Vice President stated.

He explained that the trigger group is composed of national agencies, including NiMet, NiHSA, NEMA, NASRDA, and NOA, working in collaboration with UNOCHA, WFP, FAO, and the IFRC.

“We cannot leave here with only communiqués and good intentions. We must take ownership of this framework, embed it into our institutions, and stay accountable to its promise,” the Vice President told participants at the workshop.

Earlier in his keynote address, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, said the Tinubu administration is committed to supporting the operationalisation of the Anticipatory Action Framework for Nigeria.

He stressed the need for response agencies and intervention organisations to utilise the National Social Register to lay the foundation for a flood-resistant nation, noting that the register is a national resilience infrastructure.

The Minister recommended the enactment of a risk management and data sharing protocol, the establishment of a national risk and sustainable coordination centre, early funding for anticipatory actions, and the deployment of technology to enable real-time monitoring of situations across the country.

On his part, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, commended Nigeria for taking the bold step in leading the institutionalisation of coordinated humanitarian response to disasters in the region.

According to him, the rest of West Africa is looking up to what is being done in Nigeria, as successes recorded in the country will permeate the rest of the region.

In his welcome remarks, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said the workshop is a crucial step towards building a resilient and progressive nation, emphasising that poorly managed disasters can exacerbate insecurity, enable displacement, disrupt critical infrastructure and deepen societal fragilities.

He also noted that efforts aimed at strengthening the anticipatory capacity of the nation are a priority of the Tinubu administration, as it is essential in sustaining lives and securing national assets, among other goals.

On her part, the Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Development Partners, Mrs Inna Audu, said the workshop was designed to accelerate the country’s journey towards a national early warning system that is integrated, inclusive, and anticipatory.

She noted that President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima are deeply committed to building a disaster-resilient Nigeria, stressing that the time for piecemeal responses was over and that stakeholders must shift to systems thinking where data, people, and policies are interconnected, and where foresight guides interventions.

There were also goodwill messages from the European Union and representatives of response agencies, development partners, Civil Society Organisations and the private sector, among others.

FG Moves To Curb Flood Disasters, Climate-Induced Crises As VP Shettima Launches Preemptive Action Plan

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Zulum donates N100m to wounded soldiers; families of fallen heroes

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Zulum donates N100m to wounded soldiers; families of fallen heroes

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum has donated N100 million to aid the families of slain soldiers and those wounded in the ongoing fight against insurgency in the northeast region.

The donation was made on Saturday at an Eid El-Kabir Sallah luncheon hosted jointly by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, held at Maimalari Barracks in Maiduguri.

Zulum, while presenting a cheque of N100 million to the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdussalam Abubakar, stated that each of the soldiers wounded in action would be given N500,000, while the remaining amount would be distributed among families left by the soldiers killed in action in the ongoing fight against insurgency.

The presentation of the cheque was witnessed by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar and the Force Commander, Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Major General Godwin Mutkut.

Other prominent personalities present include a member of the House of Representatives, Engr. Bukar Talba, Secretary to Borno State Government, Alhaji Bukar Tijani, Head of Service, Dr Muhammad Ghuluze, Ag Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mallumbe, Borno APC Chairman, Hon. Bello Ayuba, among many senior government officials.

Zulum commended the resilience and patriotism of the Nigerian Armed Forces, emphasising that their sacrifices should never be forgotten. He said: “Your commitment on the frontlines, often under extreme conditions and far from your families, is not lost on us. We remain eternally grateful for your service and will never take your sacrifices for granted.”

The Governor also assured the military leadership of his continued support, stating that: “Borno State will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Nigerian Army and all security agencies in the fight against insurgency and rebuilding our communities for a peaceful and prosperous future.”

Zulum donates N100m to wounded soldiers; families of fallen heroes

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Yobe: One killed as Fulani bandits allegedly attacks traders in Fune local government

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Yobe: One killed as Fulani attacks traders in Fune local government

By: Yahaya Wakili

One person was reportedly killed and many injured on Monday, during a market day in Kayeri village of the Fune local government area of Yobe state, where an alledged Fulani bandits reportedly invaded the market, and started beating the people, and looted their properties.

Eyewitnesses said that as a result of this, one person was killed and properties worth thousands of naira were looted by the bandits, and some people are alledging that the incident was caused by the negligence of the government.

They narrated that this has been happening every year either as the Eid-el-Fitr or Eid-el-Kabir Sallah celebration is approaching.

“On every market day, the government used to reinforce security and vigilantes to protect the lives and properties of the people from Fulani looters. But not this time. ” One of the victim said.

According to them, this time around, the local government didn’t send any security or vigilantes to the market day, so the bandits took advantage of this: they invaded the market, started beating the people, killed one person, and looted people’s properties.

When contacted the chairman of the local government, Alhaji Baba Goni Mustapha Bade, he started reacting violently to our reporter for attempting to make findings on the incident.

“Why are you journalists doing this? I will not say anything about this. Go and write whatever you want to write.” Bana Goni said

Yobe: One killed as Fulani attacks traders in Fune local government

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Marwa describes Prof. Jubril Aminu an epitome of knowledge

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Marwa describes Prof. Jubril Aminu an epitome of knowledge

By: Michael Mike

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) has described former Minister of Education, Prof JubrilAminu as an epitome of knowledge who made positive impacts in medicine, education, foreign policy, politics, oil industry, and all other sectors where he served Nigeria at different times.

Marwa, in a statement on Friday, said the death of Aminu on Thursday 5th June “is a monumental loss that leaves a multitude of people grief-stricken in Nigeria and outside the shores of this country.”

He said: “Even at 85, we would have loved to see him live much longer, for many more years, so that Nigeria can continue to benefit from his depth of knowledge and wealth of experience that cuts across critical sectors of human development.”

Marwa said the outpour of tributes in the past 24 hours is an indication of Prof Aminu’s far-reaching influence and impact across various spheres of life, all of which further exacerbated the sense of loss for Nigerians.

He added that: “Yet, in our state of bereavement, we cannot but celebrate the life and times of an extraordinary man, an epitome of knowledge who, until he passed on, was and is still one of Nigeria’s finest examples in medicine and academics, where he made lasting impacts.”

The NDLEA boss said apart from coming from the same state with the late Senator, who once represented Adamawa Central in the National Assembly, he has good memories of the various times and stages their paths crossed in the service of the nation.

Marwa describes Prof. Jubril Aminu an epitome of knowledge

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