The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has convened an Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF) as part of intensified efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness for anticipated flooding and other climate-related disasters in 2026.
The forum, which followed a recent Technical Meeting on the 2026 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), brought together key stakeholders from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), security services, humanitarian organisations, and development partners. The engagement is aimed at ensuring sectoral alignment and accelerating the implementation of proactive measures to mitigate the impact of predicted climate risks.
Speaking at the forum, the Director General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, emphasized that disaster preparedness must go beyond policy documents to practical, coordinated, and measurable interventions that safeguard lives and livelihoods.
“Preparedness must go beyond planning documents and translate into concrete, coordinated, and measurable interventions that will reduce vulnerability and protect lives and livelihoods,” she said.
Mrs. Umar noted that the Emergency Coordination Forum served as a vital platform for assessing sectoral readiness, identifying operational gaps, and aligning priority actions across stakeholders. She urged sector leads to clearly present their preparedness status, highlight challenges, and outline immediate steps required to address emerging risks.
Reiterating the importance of synergy, the NEMA Director General stressed that effective disaster risk management depends on collaboration and timely information sharing among stakeholders.
“No single institution can respond effectively in isolation. Our strength lies in our ability to work together, share timely information, and align our efforts towards a common goal,” she added.
She further called on all participating agencies and partners to take ownership of their responsibilities and ensure that resolutions from the forum are implemented at both national and sub-national levels.
According to NEMA, the Emergency Coordination Forum represented a significant step in strengthening early warning-to-early action systems, improving multi-sectoral preparedness, and reducing the potential impact of flooding and other climate-induced hazards across the country in 2026.
The meeting is part of broader national efforts to enhance disaster risk management and build resilience against the increasing threat of climate change.
