NEC approves N83.2bn to tackle flooding, climate emergencies

The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved N83.2 billion for interventions aimed at mitigating the impact of anticipated flooding and other climate-related emergencies across Nigeria.

The approval was granted on Thursday during the 158th meeting of the Council, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The intervention fund will support activities of the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF), following a presentation by the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, on the need for proactive measures to address flooding and related disasters, particularly during the rainy season.

Council members also stressed the importance of moving beyond reactive responses to emergencies and disasters, noting that preventive action is critical to reducing losses and protecting vulnerable communities.

Speaking at the meeting, Shettima urged state governments to collaborate with the Federal Government in addressing logistical and regulatory challenges that hinder Nigeria’s agricultural exports.

He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was focused on ensuring that ongoing economic reforms translate into tangible benefits for citizens across the country.

“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,” the Vice President said.

“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?”