NEC Approves N83.2 Billion to Address Flooding and Climate‑Related Emergencies

• Certain of possible release of additional funds after assessment of flood threats nationwide

• Shettima urges states to work with FG to address logistical, compliance barriers preventing farm produce from reaching global markets

The National Economic Council (NEC) approved N83.2 billion for the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF) at its monthly meeting in Abuja yesterday. The funds are earmarked for interventions designed to lessen the impact of anticipated flooding and other climate‑related emergencies across Nigeria.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who chairs the council, called on states to collaborate with the federal government to eliminate the logistical and compliance obstacles that have kept farm produce from reaching international markets.

The fund approval at the 158th NEC meeting followed a presentation by Minister of State, Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu. Bagudu highlighted the need to proactively tackle flooding, especially during the rainy season.

NEC underscored the importance of the AATF in managing disasters and emergencies, noting that the council must move beyond reactive measures.

After the meeting, Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu told reporters that the council approved N83.21 billion—half of the amount requested under the AATF. The task force was created to coordinate early interventions against flooding and other climate‑related disasters.

Otu said the proposal had sought approval for the disbursement of N166.42 billion through the Federation Account Allocation Committee mechanism to designated implementing agencies and beneficiaries.

He described the intervention as a significant shift from Nigeria’s traditional disaster response model, which has often focused on post‑disaster relief rather than prevention.

“I want you to know that this is the first time, as a nation, that we are taking proactive steps,” Otu said. “Most times, we wait until floods have caused significant damage before taking action.”

“This time, under the leadership of the chairman of the council, the vice president, we are taking proactive measures to mitigate the potential impact of flooding, which has become a recurring challenge.”

He explained that NEC recognised the growing threat posed by annual flooding and agreed that the government must shift from a reactive to a preventive approach in tackling natural disasters.

The governor added, “Council underscored the importance of the Anticipatory Action Task Force in addressing disasters and climate‑related emergencies across the country.”

“Members agreed that NEC must not always be seen reacting to disasters after they occur but should take steps to prevent or mitigate their impact.”

Justifying the decision to cut the proposal by 50 percent, Otu said the council was guided by the need to balance available resources with the urgency of early intervention.

“We felt it was important to begin putting measures in place,” he said. “As we evaluate and assess the situation, going forward, the council will certainly make additional provisions where necessary.”

“You also have to look at the intervention within the context of available resources. The idea is to deploy what is currently available in a proactive manner and establish mechanisms that can reduce the impact of flooding before it occurs.”

“That is essentially why the council decided to reduce the proposal by 50 percent. As we move forward and continue to evaluate the situation, more adequate provisions can be made where required.”

The approval came amid forecasts of severe flooding in several parts of the country during the 2026 rainy season and growing efforts by the federal and state governments to strengthen disaster preparedness and climate resilience.

In a separate presentation, NEC considered the proposed National Regional Development Policy (NRDP) 2026‑2030, presented by the Ministry of Regional Development as a framework for promoting balanced and inclusive development across Nigeria.

The council noted that the policy had become imperative in view of persistent spatial inequalities, fragmented regional interventions, alignment with the Medium‑Term National Development Plan (MTNDP) 2026‑2030, and the need to institutionalise global best practices in regional development planning.

The policy, according to the presentation, sought to provide strategic oversight for the formulation and implementation of regional development initiatives, coordinate development master plans for the regional development commissions in collaboration with state governments, and supervise the operations of the commissions.

The framework is also expected to align regional development programmes with the President Bola Tinubu administration’s priority areas, including economic growth, food security, national security, energy development, infrastructure expansion, education, healthcare, social investment, industrialisation, innovation, and the digital economy.

Key proposals before the council included the endorsement of NRDP 2026‑2030, approval of the Regional Development Policy Framework mechanism, support for state‑level adoption of the policy, and backing for the establishment of a Regional Development Bank.

At the end of deliberations, NEC directed the Minister of Regional Development to circulate the draft policy to state governors for review and input, while also mandating consultations with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to secure broad sub‑national participation and ownership.

The council said the initiative would deepen cooperation between the federal and state governments, strengthen the operations of the regional development commissions, and provide a coordinated framework for addressing development imbalances across the federation.

Shettima said the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda must now produce visible results across the federation.

He stated that the council’s work must be judged by changes in the lives of ordinary Nigerians, especially farmers, manufacturers, vulnerable citizens, unemployed young people, and children who will inherit the country.

He said, “When this council last met, I called our economy a workshop. A place of measurement and correction. A place where plans are turned into systems, and systems into institutions, before any of it becomes prosperity.”

“A workshop is judged by one thing. Not by the plans pinned to its walls, but by what comes off the bench. We return to that bench today. Not to admire the image, but to ask the question that honours it. Is the work taking shape?”

The vice president said Nigeria was a federation moving from stabilisation to production, from aspiration to implementation, and from isolated interventions to coordinated national growth.

He added that the agenda before the council was not a new conversation, but a continuation of the national assignment with greater pressure for action and results.

Shettima stated, “The assignment has not changed. We remain a federation moving from stabilisation to production, from aspiration to implementation, from isolated interventions to coordinated national growth. What has changed, I hope, is our proximity to delivery.”

“A federation does not earn its prosperity by leaving its most vulnerable behind and hoping they catch up. The dignity of the citizen with the least is the floor beneath, which we have resolved that no Nigerian shall fall.”

Shettima pointed out that the social protection agenda before the council was an opportunity to convert national conscience into a durable system that protected citizens and strengthened human capital.

On exports and production, Shettima said Nigeria must stop relying on the export of raw materials while importing finished prosperity from other countries.

He maintained that the country’s economic transformation depended on a complete value chain linking farms to factories, factories to standards, standards to ports, and ports to markets.

“We cannot continue to export raw materials and import finished prosperity,” he said.

The vice president also assured the people that the council would confront bottlenecks that weakened Nigeria’s agricultural exports, especially the challenges affecting movement of goods through the ports and the standards required by international markets.

He said improving port processes and meeting export compliance requirements were central to rewarding farmers, strengthening manufacturers, and expanding Nigeria’s participation in global trade.

Shettima added, “A nation that cannot move its goods has imprisoned its own farmers. Meeting international standards is not submission to foreign demand. It is the price of the markets that will reward our labour.”