The remarks highlight concerns about the effectiveness of flood prevention measures, emergency response systems and the use of funds allocated to protect communities vulnerable to seasonal flooding.
Air Vice Marshal Akugbe Iyamu (retd.), a former acting Director-General of NEMA, specifically cited ₦109 billion reportedly released for the Ecological Fund between 2023 and 2025 and questioned how state governments had used the money. He also referred to ₦83.2 billion earmarked for anticipatory action and called for greater transparency and accountability.
Iyamu further argued that Abuja’s drainage and water-flow channels had been compromised by changes to the city’s original master plan, worsening its vulnerability to flooding. He called for preventive measures, including improved riverbanks and better coordination among agencies responsible for weather forecasting, flood monitoring and emergency response.
His central message was that funding and early warnings must translate into practical measures that protect communities before disaster strikes, rather than being focused primarily on relief after homes, livelihoods and infrastructure have been damaged.
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