Ahead of next year’s rainy season, the Federal Government has pledged its full commitment to long-term flood resilience in Nigeria, describing the Global Flood Disaster Management Project and its Stay Afloat initiative as a major step in tackling worsening climate-related disasters.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated this in Abuja at the official fundraising launch for flood preparedness in Nigeria.
Represented by the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Abubakar Kyari, the President said the initiative reflects a shared global understanding that floods are no longer seasonal challenges but serious threats to human security, economic stability, and sustainable development.
He noted that Nigeria and many other countries continue to experience severe flooding, resulting in lost farmlands, damaged infrastructure, and displaced families.
President Tinubu emphasized that the effects of climate change are continuous and far-reaching, stressing that solutions must be strategic, coordinated, and sustainable.
He described the Global Flood Disaster Management Project as a transformative, multi-year programme built on four pillars: early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, capacity building, and community engagement.
The President explained that the project will enhance forecasting capacity, introduce real-time monitoring, and deploy digital alert systems to give citizens and governments more time to prepare and respond.
He further stressed that community participation is central to the project, ensuring farmers receive climate-adaptive guidance and vulnerable groups—including women and youth—are fully involved.
Also speaking, Chairman of the House Committee on Hydrological Services, Dr Pascal Agbodike, reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to the initiative.
He said the programme aligns with the Committee’s oversight mandate and supports national policy under the National Flood Emergency Preparedness Framework.
Dr Agbodike emphasised the need for Nigeria to shift from reacting to disasters to predicting, planning, and preventing them.
He called for strong investment from the government, the private sector, development partners, and philanthropists, noting that national resilience is a shared responsibility.
He assured donors and partners that the National Assembly will continue to provide legislative backing, oversight, and policy direction to guarantee transparency and accountability.
The Chief Host of the event, Professor Salihu Mustapha, said flooding is a global challenge that cannot be prevented completely but can be effectively managed through preparation and coordinated response.
He noted that studies in the United Kingdom affirm that floods are natural events, and the best strategy is to mitigate their impacts before they occur—an approach he commended the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency for adopting.
In his keynote address, Ambassador Godknows Igali described flooding as one of humanity’s oldest natural disasters and warned that modern “monster floods” now destroy farmlands, infrastructure, and lives.
He stressed that preparedness is the only effective response, citing major floods recorded in Germany, Italy, and France in 2024 as proof that no country is exempt.
Earlier in his welcome address, Director General of NIHSA, Mr Umar Mohammed, said recent flood-risk figures represent real families whose livelihoods have been disrupted, adding that preparedness is far cheaper than emergency response.
