Iliyasu Abdulahi Bah
Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to deepening collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to strengthen disaster preparedness and build a more resilient state.
Speaking at the 2025 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction held on Monday, Governor Lawal described the partnership as a cornerstone of his government’s strategy to confront the complex web of threats facing Zamfara from insecurity to floods and displacement.
The event, themed “Fund Resilience, Not Disaster,” also featured the official launch of Nigeria’s new national disaster management frameworks: the NEMA Strategic Plan (2025–2029), the National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2025–2030), and the National Action Plan (2025–2028).
In his address, Lawal urged a shift from reactive to proactive governance in handling emergencies, noting that disasters rarely occur in isolation.
“Our experience underscores that no risk is truly isolated; every threat is interconnected,” the governor stated. “In Zamfara, one disaster such as insecurity often fuels another, like mass displacement or food insecurity. Managing this reality requires a strategic and coordinated approach, not a reactive one.”
Governor Lawal outlined several steps already taken by his administration to strengthen disaster management in the state. Among them is the empowerment and restructuring of the Zamfara Emergency Management Agency (ZEMA) to grant it greater autonomy and operational capacity in emergency response.
He explained that the enhanced agency will be better equipped to tackle the localized threats confronting Zamfara — including banditry, fire outbreaks, mining accidents, floods, and other climate-related emergencies.
The governor also called for stronger inter-agency coordination and increased community participation in risk reduction.
“We must deepen collaboration at all levels and ensure that no one is left behind,” Lawal said, emphasizing the importance of resilient and flexible funding systems capable of supporting rapid and dynamic disaster response efforts.
Lawal’s message reflected a broader call for sustainable investment in resilience-building rather than costly post-disaster interventions aligning Zamfara’s local priorities with national and global goals for risk reduction and climate adaptation.