The Federal Government has announced plans to disburse ₦6.3 billion in interest-free, collateral-free loans to 21,000 Nigerians displaced or severely affected by recent flooding across the country. The intervention was revealed during a roundtable marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Abuja.
According to Dr Yusuf Sanunu, Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, each beneficiary will receive ₦300,000 to help rebuild livelihoods, particularly in the agricultural sector, and mitigate food insecurity in disaster-impacted communities. The loans will be interest and collateral free.
Sanunu said the scheme is part of the Hope Agenda of the President, aiming to strengthen resilience and aid in post-flood recovery. He highlighted that through the National Social Investment Programme, over 8.1 million households have already benefited from grants totalling over ₦300 billion.
Additionally, a collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture will support internally displaced persons (IDPs) by ensuring a ready market for their produce: IDPs will retain 30 percent of their output while the government commits to off-take 70 percent, with direct cash payments made to participants
Also disclosed at the event were new policy instruments aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s disaster readiness: the NEMA Strategy Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030) were launched to guide future resilience efforts. Lens News learnt that a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform is also under development to enable early warning and data-driven responses.
The Director-General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, warned that climate change is intensifying disasters in Nigeria. She called for a shift from reactive relief to long-term risk mitigation, and urged adoption of innovative financing tools like catastrophe bonds and climate funds.
As of October 10, 2025, Nigeria’s flood dashboard reports at least 238 deaths, 135,764 displaced persons, and over 409,700 affected individuals across several states, underscoring the urgency of the relief programme.
