By Nkechi Eze
The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar, has reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to advancing a proactive and risk-informed disaster management framework across Nigeria, emphasizing sustained collaboration with key institutions and stakeholders to enhance national resilience.
Mrs. Umar made this known while receiving a delegation from the Simulation and Crisis Management Directorate of the Department of State Services (DSS) during a working visit to the NEMA Headquarters in Abuja.
In her remarks, the Director General underscored NEMA’s strategic focus on anticipatory action, highlighting the importance of early warning systems, preparedness, mitigation, and coordinated response mechanisms in addressing emerging disaster risks. She noted that the Agency remains resolute in transitioning from reactive interventions to forward-looking, preventive disaster governance.
According to her, the recent release of the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the 2026 Annual Flood Outlook by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has further reinforced the urgency of early preparedness measures. She disclosed that NEMA has since activated a series of coordinated strategies aimed at mitigating the potential impact of flooding during the 2026 rainy season.
Mrs. Umar explained that the Agency has intensified engagements with critical stakeholders, convened technical coordination platforms, and initiated targeted sensitization campaigns to mobilize state governments and vulnerable communities toward adopting timely preventive actions against flood-related threats.
She commended the delegation for the visit and expressed NEMA’s readiness to strengthen collaboration with the Directorate in areas of disaster simulation, preparedness planning, and integrated emergency response systems nationwide.
Earlier, the Acting Assistant Director General of the Directorate, Mrs. Safiya Yusuf, stated that the visit was aimed at enhancing institutional synergy and acquainting NEMA with the Directorate’s operational mandate, particularly its role in providing strategic support before, during, and after emergencies.
Mrs. Yusuf affirmed the Directorate’s commitment to fostering a robust partnership with NEMA to bolster national disaster preparedness and reinforce Nigeria’s crisis response architecture.
