BREAKING: Disasters Cause Of Insecurity, Displacement
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has said some insecurity and displacements in Nigeria were caused by disasters.
Naija News reports that Ribadu stated this on Wednesday, while speaking at the Coordinated Risk Monitoring and Communication for Floods as well as other Disasters workshop, held at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser, in Abuja.
He stressed that shifting from reactive response to disaster to anticipatory action was a humanitarian necessity and national security imperative.
“The workshop is more than a gathering; it is a reaffirmation of our commitment to advancing early warning systems and timely response mechanisms as vital instruments for safeguarding our most vulnerable populations from the devastating impacts of disasters.
“For us in the Office of the National Security Adviser, this shift from reactive responses to anticipatory action is not just a humanitarian necessity; it is a national security imperative.
“As we are aware, unmanaged disasters can exacerbate insecurity, fuel displacement, disrupt critical infrastructure, and deepen societal fragilities,” he said.
Speaking, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, described the workshop as a timely intervention to confront the rising threats of climate-induced disasters such as floods, which affected over five million Nigerians in 2024.
“These disasters are no longer distant threats. They are here, knocking at our doors, sweeping through our streets, flooding our homes, and testing not only our moral sensitivity but the depth of our preparation,” he said.
The Vice President stressed the urgent need to dump the costly and inadequate reactive approach to disasters for a more proactive measure.
“For decades, our response has been reactive. We wait for the waters to rise, for the homes to vanish, and then we scramble for relief. This late arrival of support costs more and saves fewer lives.
“We lose close to 5% of our GDP every year to reactive disaster responses. This approach is not only unsustainable, it is also deeply unjust to the most vulnerable among us. This is why we must act before disasters unfold,” he stated.
