Ex-NEMA Chief Critiques Nigeria's Flood Preparedness Efforts

Air Vice Marshal Akugbe Iyamu (retd.), the former acting Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, expressed concerns about Nigeria's inadequate flood preparedness despite billions allocated for disaster management. He highlighted that between 2023 and 2025, 109 billion Naira was released for the Ecological Fund, questioning how states utilized these funds.

Iyamu argued that the focus should be on preventing flooding rather than responding to its consequences, criticizing the bureaucratic inefficiencies and lack of transparency in fund management. He pointed out that changes in rainfall patterns should have prompted authorities to enhance flood preparedness.

Iyamu stressed that ecological funds are often treated as regular state allocations, undermining their intended purpose. He called for a reevaluation of the Ecological Fund's management to ensure accountability and effective deployment for disaster mitigation, rather than allowing it to be mismanaged.