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NEMA, World Bank seek policy to protect disaster victims, restore livelihoods – EnviroNews
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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the World Bank are working with global partners to finalise a new national policy to protect disaster victims and restore livelihoods in the country.
Director-General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, said this at a national stakeholders’ workshop held on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Abuja to deliberate on the National Policy for Relief and Rehabilitation Intervention (NPRRI).
According to her, the development is expected to bring relief to millions of Nigerians, especially farmers and vulnerable groups affected by recurrent environmental disasters across the country.
The director general said the policy was designed to close existing implementation gaps and ensure direct victims of flooding; climate crises and displacement remained the primary beneficiaries.
Umar said the policy introduced a guaranteed minimum intervention standard to ensure equity, accountability and timely delivery of assistance without political or bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“Today’s engagement is not merely a presentation of a draft document but an opportunity to collectively shape a policy framework.
“This framework will influence how relief and rehabilitation interventions are planned, coordinated, implemented, monitored and evaluated in Nigeria,” Umar said.
The resource person at the workshop, Mr. Abdullahi Usur, while giving a technical breakdown of the NPRRI, said the policy would translate into tangible support for affected communities.
He said that instead of short-term food distribution alone, affected families would receive structured tools, seeds and alternative economic support to rebuild farms and businesses.
Usur added that the policy also provided protocols for rebuilding destroyed houses and restoring critical community infrastructure such as rural health clinics and clean water facilities.
“Special safeguards are built into the framework to prioritise the safety, nutrition and medical needs of women, children and persons with disabilities during emergencies.
“By setting standard activation timeframes, communities will know exactly what level of help to expect from local, state or federal authorities, thereby eliminating delays,” he said.
The Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Patrick Ibru, said climate-related disasters were threatening smallholder farmers with food insecurity.
“Prevention and structured rehabilitation are coming at a critical moment for our nation.
“We are confronted year-on-year with climate-related emergencies that affect our crops, farmers, livelihoods and food security.
“Everyone is feeling the pain. I urge states to vigorously implement the policy to safeguard the rural economy,” Ibru said.
Mr. Akeem Ajibola, who represented the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN system, said Nigeria was facing “disasters within disasters’’ ranging from economic pressures to climate shocks.
He said the NPRRI would link immediate humanitarian relief with long-term peace and development to enable communities to recover stronger.
Also speaking, the World Bank Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Mr. Francis Nkoka, said an effective national policy must guide victims from initial shock to full and independent recovery.
To ensure timely response, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said its specialised Military Disaster Response Units remained on standby nationwide to secure and assist citizens during emergencies under NEMA’s coordination.
By Philomina Attah
