The Federal Government is set to disburse N6.3 billion in interest-free loans to 21,000 Nigerians affected by recent flood disasters across the country.

Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, announced this on Monday in Abuja during a roundtable marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

He explained that the initiative aims to cushion the impact of flooding and enhance food security nationwide.

“In the next few weeks, 21,000 Nigerians will receive interest-free, collateral-free loans of N300,000 each.

“This intervention is designed to support farmers and strengthen communities affected by flooding,” he said.

Sununu further revealed that the Federal Government, through the National Social Investment Programme, has reached over 8.1 million households with more than N300 billion in Conditional Cash Transfers.

“This support has improved the resilience, health, and education of many vulnerable households. The process will continue under the Hope Agenda of Mr. President,” Sununu added.

He also announced plans to empower internally displaced persons through a scheme that guarantees a market for their produce.

“Under our new collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, IDPs will retain 30% of their produce while the government will off-take 70%, providing direct cash payments to the participants,” he explained.

In her remarks, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar, highlighted the growing threat of climate-related disasters and called for stronger preventive measures.

Umar noted that Nigeria faces increasing risks from climate change, conflicts, pandemics, and technological hazards, stressing that disaster management must shift from reactive to proactive approaches.

She also announced the launch of two key policy frameworks — the NEMA Strategic Plan (2025–2029) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030) — to guide future disaster preparedness and resilience-building efforts.

“These frameworks promote innovation in financing, institutional collaboration, and risk-informed development,” she said, adding that NEMA is developing a National Risk Monitoring and Information Platform to enhance early warning and data-driven decision-making.

She further called for innovative financing options, including catastrophe bonds, climate funds, and blended finance models, to sustain disaster prevention and recovery initiatives.

The event, which focused on building resilience against climate-related disasters, was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, lawmakers, and international partners.

According to figures obtained from the National Emergency Management Agency’s 2025 Flood Dashboard as of October 10, 2025, 238 persons have lost their lives, while 135,764 others have been displaced following floods that swept through parts of the country.

NEMA reports that at least 409,714 people have been affected so far, with 826 sustaining various degrees of injuries and 115 reported missing across the country.

Flood-related deaths were recorded in multiple states, bringing the nationwide death toll to 238.

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