Vice-President Kashim Shettima has directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF), and other relevant agencies to begin early action to mitigate flooding nationwide.

According to a statement on Thursday by the vice-president’s spokesperson, Stanley Nkwocha, Mr Shettima gave the directive during a meeting of the AATF at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The vice-president also directed the agencies to review and update their implementation budgets in line with approved allocations and establish clear priorities for execution.

He stressed the need to shift from a reactive approach to proactive preparedness, saying the administration of President Bola Tinubu was committed to tackling flooding and other climate-related disasters through early action.

“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 maintained that Nigeria requires an institutional mechanism that enables authorities to anticipate hazards, consolidate data, coordinate decisions, and activate interventions before emergencies escalate.

“I am directing that technical consultations begin at once to operationalise the Fusion and Trigger Room concept within NEMA as a national platform for coordination and early action. This platform should anchor our monitoring, our forecasting, the activation of triggers, the coordination across agencies, and the decisions that follow from them,” he added.

Mr Shettima also directed NEMA, relevant agencies and technical teams to immediately review and update their budgets in line with approved allocations and ensure that implementation priorities are clearly defined. He further instructed the institutions to work closely together to expedite the release and deployment of approved resources, warning against delays in implementing preparedness measures.

“Anticipatory Action, therefore, rises or falls on speed and readiness. Resources intended for preparedness and early response must be available at the precise moment they are required.

“To wait until disaster strikes before releasing what we have already approved is to defeat the very purpose of acting early. I am therefore directing the relevant institutions to work closely together to expedite the release and deployment of approved resources, and to ensure that implementation timelines are never held hostage by administrative delay,” he stated.

NEMA’s director-general, Zubaida Abubakar Umar, said the funds approved by the National Economic Council would help prevent loss of lives and protect livelihoods. She added that the agency had prioritised vulnerable communities and issued early warning alerts in anticipation of flooding.

The NEC had earlier approved ₦83.2 billion to mitigate the anticipated flooding and other climate-related emergencies across the country.