The Federal Government has announced plans to disburse ₦6.3 billion in interest-free loans to 21,000 Nigerians affected by recent flood disasters across the country.
Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a roundtable event marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Sununu said the initiative aims to cushion the impact of flooding and boost food security across affected communities.
“In the next few weeks, 21,000 Nigerians will receive interest-free, collateral-free loans of ₦300,000 each,” he stated. “This intervention is designed to support farmers and strengthen communities affected by flooding.”
He added that through the National Social Investment Programme, the Federal Government has reached over 8.1 million households with more than ₦300 billion in Conditional Cash Transfers. “This support has improved the resilience, health, and education of many vulnerable households. The process will continue under the Hope Agenda of Mr. President,” he said.
Sununu also unveiled a plan to empower internally displaced persons (IDPs) through an agricultural scheme that guarantees a market for their produce. “Under our new collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, IDPs will retain 30% of their produce while the government will off-take 70%, providing direct cash payments to the participants,” he explained.
The Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, highlighted the increasing risks of climate-related disasters in Nigeria and called for a proactive shift in disaster management.
Umar announced the launch of two new policy frameworks — the NEMA Strategic Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030) — to guide preparedness and resilience efforts. “These frameworks promote innovation in financing, institutional collaboration, and risk-informed development,” she said.
She also revealed that NEMA is developing a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform to enhance early warning and data-driven decision-making, while advocating for innovative funding options such as catastrophe bonds, climate funds, and blended finance models to sustain disaster response efforts.
The event was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, lawmakers, and international development partners.
According to NEMA’s 2025 Flood Dashboard, as of October 10, floods have claimed 238 lives, displaced 135,764 people, and affected over 409,000 others nationwide, with 826 injured and 115 still missing.
