By Chesa Chesa
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has directed the immediate activation of the Fusion and Trigger Room concept as a national coordination and early action platform to tackle flooding across Nigeria as the peak of the rainy season approaches.
Shettima gave the directive on Thursday during a meeting of the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, stressing the need for a decisive shift from reactive emergency response to proactive disaster preparedness.
The Vice President, who also chairs the AATF, instructed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the task force, and other relevant agencies to immediately review and update their budgets in line with approved allocations and establish clear priorities for implementation.
According to him, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains committed to addressing flooding and other climate-related disasters through preparedness, coordination, and early intervention.
Shettima noted that climate and disaster risks are becoming more frequent and severe, warning that government responsibility can no longer be limited to responding only after emergencies occur.
“We are called to act early, to reduce losses before they multiply, and to protect vulnerable communities before crises unfold around them,” he said.
He emphasised that Nigeria requires a stronger institutional mechanism capable of anticipating hazards, consolidating data, coordinating decisions, and triggering action before disasters escalate.
To achieve this, the Vice President ordered immediate technical consultations to operationalise the Fusion and Trigger Room within NEMA as the central platform for monitoring, forecasting, trigger activation, inter-agency coordination, and decision-making.
Shettima also stressed the importance of timely resource deployment, warning against bureaucratic delays in releasing funds already approved for preparedness and emergency response.
“Anticipatory action rises or falls on speed and readiness. To wait until disaster strikes before releasing what we have already approved is to defeat the very purpose of acting early,” he stated.
On subnational participation, the Vice President called on state governments to take ownership of flood preparedness efforts, noting that federal coordination alone would not be sufficient to effectively manage disaster risks.
He urged governors and state institutions to actively lead implementation within their jurisdictions to ensure measurable preparedness on the ground.
Earlier, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard Doro, described the government’s approval of funds for anticipatory flood action as a timely and bold intervention.
He advocated for central coordination of all flood preparedness programmes, leveraging the national social register and digital payment platforms in collaboration with subnational governments.
Also speaking, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, commended the Nigerian government for approving the intervention fund, describing the move as a strong demonstration of political commitment and national ownership.
Fall noted that investment in anticipatory action is both strategic and future-oriented, saying preventive measures have consistently helped save lives, communities, and livelihoods.
On her part, the Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, said the approved intervention funds would help prevent loss of lives and protect livelihoods in flood-prone communities.
She disclosed that NEMA had already issued early warning alerts and was prioritising vulnerable areas for intervention.
The National Economic Council had earlier approved an ₦83.2 billion intervention fund to support anticipatory action against flooding nationwide.
