The Federal Government says it will disburse ₦6.3 billion in interest-free loans to 21,000 Nigerians affected by recent flood disasters in the coming weeks, with each beneficiary expected to receive ₦300,000, the Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, announced on Monday in Abuja.
The government said the initiative aims to help families and small farmers recover from flood-related losses and strengthen food security across the country.
Mr. Sununu spoke at a roundtable event marking the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, lawmakers, and representatives of international development partners.
“We are planning, together with both national and state levels, to improve our flood mitigation efforts by doling out, in the next few weeks, to 21,000 Nigerians, free-interest and collateral-free loans of over ₦300,000 each,” the minister said. “This is to address the crisis in farming and to mitigate the effects of flooding in Nigeria.”
The government described the initiative as a blend of disaster recovery and livelihood support, targeting communities hit hardest by flooding and at risk of sliding deeper into poverty.
Sununu said the loans are part of the ministry’s broader push to build community resilience and reduce dependence on emergency aid through economic empowerment.
He said that the National Social Investment Agency (NSIPA) has already reached 8.1 million households through conditional cash transfers worth over ₦300 billion, improving access to food, healthcare, and education among vulnerable Nigerians.
“As of today, in terms of conditional cash transfers, over 8.1 million households have been reached with a total of over ₦300 billion,” Sununu noted. “This has really improved their capacity, health, and education — and the process will continue.”
Support for Displaced Persons
The minister added that the government is collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to empower internally displaced persons (IDPs) through agricultural schemes that guarantee both production and market access.
Under the plan, IDPs will retain 30% of what they produce for personal use, while the government will offtake 70% for cash payments — ensuring steady income and food supply.
Speaking earlier, Zubaida Umar, Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), warned that Nigeria faces rising disaster risks linked to climate change, conflict, and rapid urbanization — all of which are stretching the limits of existing response systems.
She called for a shift from reactive spending on disasters to a more structured and preventive financing model, underpinned by innovation and cross-sectoral coordination.
“We must move from ad-hoc funding of disasters to a multi-stakeholder financing architecture that supports prevention, preparedness, and sustainable recovery,” Umar said.
NEMA also launched two key frameworks at the event — the NEMA Strategic Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030) — both designed to embed risk management into Nigeria’s development planning.
Umar added that the agency is working with partners to develop a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform for early warning, vulnerability mapping, and informed investment decisions.
She also pointed to new financing tools such as catastrophe bonds, insurance pools, and climate funds, saying they could help scale up disaster resilience nationwide.
Key Highlights
- ₦6.3bn interest-free loan to 21,000 flood victims nationwide.
- ₦300,000 per beneficiary, collateral-free and targeted at recovery.
- 8.1 million households already supported with ₦300bn through conditional cash transfers.
- NEMA launches two national disaster frameworks (2025–2030) to drive resilience financing.
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