The Federal Government has earmarked N166 billion as a special intervention fund to position the country as a leader in the new era of data-driven preparedness against disasters by 2026.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who announced the fund, explained that it would help to provide anticipatory action before the occurrence of any form of disaster in the coming year.
The Vice President said the country is strengthening national systems to ensure that early warning is not just issued but heard, understood, and acted upon at the last mile.
He said the essence is to make Nigeria more proactive and enhance its anticipatory capacity.
Shettima spoke at the National Conference on Anticipatory Action in Nigeria, with the theme: “Unlocking the Power of Data-Driven Anticipatory Action in Nigeria,” organised by the International Rescue Committee, Nigeria.
The Vice President said the country is investing in national data-generating agencies, climate-resilient agriculture, flood prediction models integrated with machine-learning systems, like IGNITIA, data-driven disaster management frameworks and community-led resilience initiatives.
The target, he noted, is to have a nation where no community is abandoned to rising waters, failed rains, or eroding livelihoods.
Shettima, who was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, said: “A special intervention of N166 billion has been committed by the National Economic Council to fund the National Anticipatory Action Framework in 2026.”
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He added: “We are strengthening national systems to ensure that early warning is not just issued but heard, understood, and acted upon at the last mile.”
The Vice President said Nigeria’s vision is to become a nation that anticipates, not reacts.
“The Nigeria we are building will not wait helplessly for rescue. We will be a proactive nation, not reactive; resilient, not vulnerable.
“We will be a nation where no community is abandoned to rising waters, failed rains, or eroding livelihoods; a nation where innovation meets governance, and data meets compassion,” he said.
Shettima stressed that an anticipatory action is not only a humanitarian necessity but a development path and climate strategy.
“Anticipatory Action is not only a humanitarian necessity; it is a development pathway. It is a climate strategy. It is a governance strength,” he said.
The Vice President stressed the importance of timely and accurate data, saying it helps to provide reliable early warning systems and proactive financing.
He sold: “And it is a moral duty. If we unlock the power of data-driven anticipatory action, we will build a Nigeria that withstands shocks, protects its citizens, and stands as a global model for resilience.”
Shettima reminded the participants that the gathering was meant “to chart a course that will redefine how Nigeria anticipates, prepares for, and responds to climate-related disasters”.
He added: “This is not simply a conference; it is a national reset on how we safeguard lives, livelihoods, and the future of our communities.
“Our reality: The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat; Nigeria is already living the consequences.
“Floods sweeping through communities in over 26 states, year after year; drought shrinking agricultural yields in the Northeast and Northwest; cholera, meningitis, and vector-borne diseases rising with changing temperatures. Tens of thousands are displaced annually; families losing livelihoods to rising waters or failed rains.
“To the families affected, these are not ‘climate events’. They are life-altering emergencies. They determine whether or not a family eats, whether or not a child goes to school, whether or not a business survives, and whether or not communities remain stable. The climate crisis is not abstract. It is personal, immediate, and local.
“The opportunity before us: Turning predictability into protection. Amid this challenge lies an extraordinary opportunity. Around the world, Anticipatory Action (AA) has proven that if we act before a disaster hits, based on data, forecasting, and science, we save more lives, protect more livelihoods, and spend fewer resources.
“With accurate data, reliable early warning systems and proactive financing, we can: move families to safety before flooding; protect farms before drought damages seedlings; deliver cash support before households resort to negative coping strategies; strengthen local systems before they are overwhelmed.
“This is common sense. It is smart economics. It is good governance. And, above all, it is humane leadership,” he added.
The Vice President cited the government’s collaboration with the United Nations, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), donors, and partners in Adamawa State, where the programme has been a huge success.
“Their work shows that when data and proactive action meet, communities recover faster, cope better, and move forward with dignity,” he stated.
Shettima urged donors and partners to increase their investment in Anticipatory Action
He said: “Today, I call on both institutional and private donors: Now is the time to scale up anticipatory action financing in Nigeria. The window to act is narrow, the need is urgent, and the returns in lives saved and communities protected are extraordinary. Every naira or dollar spent before a crisis saves multiple times that amount after a crisis. This is not charity; this is strategic investment in stability, economic growth, and resilience for Africa’s largest nation.”
Shettima also urged all the stakeholders to act together to strengthen data collection and hydro-meteorological infrastructure; expand forecasting capacity, using advanced analytics and machine learning; develop accessible and reliable early warning systems; scale climate-resilient agriculture and water management; empower communities with tools, financing, and knowledge to act early and review and cascade the National Anticipatory Action Framework to all States affected by floods and other climate induced disasters.
Warning against a relapse into the old habit of waiting for disasters to strike before acting, the Vice President said: “We can no longer afford a response system where communities only receive help after devastation has occurred.”
The Country Director of International Rescue Committee, Nigeria, Babatunde Ojei, said: “Anticipatory Action is more than an innovation; it is a lifeline. It is the power to act before a crisis becomes a catastrophe. It is the power to protect before families lose everything. It is the power to prevent suffering before it begins.”
He therefore said the gathering was more than a conference; “it is a turning point for our country. A moment where science meets leadership, where data meets decisive action, and where Nigeria demonstrates to the world that we will not wait for disaster to strike before we protect our people.”
He added: “For too long, our nation has suffered the harsh reality of a changing climate: floods, droughts, displacement, crop failures, food insecurity, and loss of livelihoods. These crises are not statistics; they are the lived experiences of ordinary Nigerians — farmers, mothers, children, traders, and entire communities struggling to survive forces beyond their control. But today, gathered in this hall, is the collective intelligence, leadership, and commitment necessary to change that story.”
