The Federal Government has announced plans to disburse ₦6.3 billion in interest-free loans to 21,000 Nigerians affected by severe flooding across the country.
The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sanunu, disclosed this on Monday during a roundtable held in Abuja to mark the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Sanunu said the initiative aims to reduce the devastating impact of flooding on local communities and improve food security nationwide.
Each beneficiary will receive an interest-free, collateral-free loan of over ₦300,000 to rebuild livelihoods destroyed by flood disasters.
The event was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, and several lawmakers, among others.
Sanunu noted that the Federal Government has already reached over 8.1 million households through the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, disbursing more than ₦300 billion to improve the living conditions of vulnerable Nigerians.
He explained that the current loan scheme would complement these efforts by supporting flood-affected farmers and small business owners struggling to recover from natural disasters.
“As a ministry under President Bola Tinubu’s Hope Agenda, we are improving local community resilience through social investment programs,” Sanunu said.
“In the next few weeks, we will roll out interest-free loans to 21,000 Nigerians to help them recover and rebuild after the floods.”
The minister also revealed plans to empower internally displaced persons (IDPs) through a collaboration between his ministry and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
Under the program, IDPs will farm in designated camps and host communities, keeping 30% of their produce while the government purchases the remaining 70% and pays them directly in cash.
Earlier, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, emphasized the growing threat of climate change and its role in worsening disasters across Nigeria.
She called for stronger disaster preparedness, risk management, and innovative financing strategies to reduce vulnerability.
Umar announced the launch of two key policy frameworks the NEMA Strategy Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030) both aimed at strengthening national resilience.
According to her, Nigeria must shift from reactive emergency responses to a sustainable disaster prevention model supported by multi-stakeholder funding.
She highlighted plans to develop a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform for early warning, vulnerability mapping, and data-driven decision-making.
The Director General also encouraged exploring innovative tools such as catastrophe bonds, insurance pools, and climate funds to secure long-term financing for disaster mitigation.
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