World Bank, NEMA roll out pilot disaster risk programme in Kano

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has adopted new measures to mitigate flooding and other environmental hazards in Kano State through preparedness, early warning systems, community engagement, and collaboration with local governments.
NEMA’s director-general, Zubaida Umar, made this known at a two-day Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Stakeholders Engagement Workshop in Kano.
Ms Umar, represented by the Director of Planning, Research, and Forecasting, Onimode Bandele, said the interventions under the EPR programme include evacuation preparedness, infrastructure assessments, and collaboration with state ministries of works and housing.
She said the engagement initiative was being implemented in collaboration with the World Bank Group Nigeria.
According to her, Kano was selected among seven pilot states for the programme due to its vulnerability to flooding during the rainy season.
She explained that the project’s objectives included establishing a robust disaster management infrastructure in every local government area of the pilot states.
“The objective is also to build their capacity, developing a comprehensive volunteer database and advocating for the adoption of local emergency management committees,” she said.
Ms Umar added that the project aimed to mitigate flooding and other disasters, particularly as Kano was prone to flooding during the rainy season.
“Current predictions indicate potential flooding in rural Nigeria due to heavy rainfall and water releases from upstream dams.
“NEMA is actively working to mitigate this through an early warning system by issuing timely alerts to communities at risk and by engaging local governments and communities for evacuation and preparedness.
“We are also working on infrastructure assessment in collaboration with the Ministry of Works and Housing,” she said.
Francis Nkoka, senior disaster risk management specialist at the World Bank, said adequate preparations would drastically reduce the cost of disasters.
“The goal is to strengthen emergency coordination, refine disaster management mechanisms, and align implementation strategies across sectors to build resilience for the people and economy of Kano,’’ he said.
Declaring the workshop open, Governor Abba Yusuf restated his administration’s commitment to policies and programmes that provide practical solutions to disaster management and prevention.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

NationWide
Centre, ATBUTH partner on Lassa fever vaccine research
Mr Yusuf said the collaboration would support the hospital in achieving its mandate of clinical services, training and research.

Abuja
FCT-IRS engages MDAs, says new portal will ease tax compliance
The chairman noted that the FCT-IRS would continue to prioritise voluntary tax compliance over punitive measures.

Heading 4
Emefiele: I transferred N5 billion into firms’ accounts without due process, EFCC witness tells court
Mr Agulu told the court that because the transaction was a peculiar situation he did not operate within Zenith Bank operational policy procedures.

States
Gov. Zulum approves N1.6 billion for Borno students’ scholarship payments nationwide
The executive secretary commended Mr Zulum for prioritising education despite prevailing challenges.

NationWide
75% pass NABTEB technical college entrance examination amid 48% enrolment drop
Mr Mohammed said enrolment dropped significantly, with 15,290 candidates registering for the examination compared to 29,260 candidates recorded in 2025.

Economy
NRGI urges Nigeria to focus on mining sector, reduce investor risk
A report by the Natural Resource Governance Institute says Nigeria should focus on reducing investor risk in the mining sector.





