The Federal Government, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has collaborated with the World Bank and the National Assembly to institutionalise a coordinated framework for the relief, rehabilitation, and reintegration of disaster victims nationwide.

The stakeholders convened at a two-day national consultation workshop to review and present the zero draft of the National Policy for Relief and Rehabilitation Intervention (NPRRI), yesterday in Abuja.

Director General of NEMA Zubaida Umar, noted that Nigeria continues to grapple with increasingly frequent and complex disasters, underscoring the urgent need for a well defined statutory framework to streamline emergency operations.
She explained that NEMA had initiated the policy development following a preparatory stakeholders’ meeting in January 2026, aimed at ensuring the final regulatory document aligns with global best practices.

Umar Saud “While significant progress has been made in emergency response, the absence of a comprehensive national policy has created gaps in coordination, standards, and implementation.
“This engagement is not merely a presentation of a draft document but rather an opportunity to collectively shape a policy framework that will influence how relief and rehabilitation interventions are planned, coordinated, implemented, monitored, and evaluated in Nigeria.”

Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the World Bank, Dr Francis Nkoka, highlighted that the policy comes at a critical time as the Nigeria faces risks driven by climate change, rapid urbanisation, and environmental degradation.
Nkoka emphasised that an effective blueprint is crucial not only for distributing immediate aid but for guiding affected communities through the transition from temporary relief to robust recovery, rehabilitation, and long-term reintegration. However, he cautioned authorities against abandoning the document after the drafting phase.

Urging sustainability of the process, Nkoka said “In most countries where we have supported policy development, the problem is we spend a lot of time and effort in preparing, improving, and making it robust. After that, all the effort is wasted; nothing happens.
“But we are hopeful that after this, we are going to move to the next step, which is the implementation and operationalisation of the policy.”

On her part, a consultant to the House of Representatives Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Dr Blessing Eke, who represented the Committee Chairman, Hon. Joseph Bassey and the Senate, assured the agency of absolute legislative backing from the lawmakers.
She said “The development of a national policy on relief and rehabilitation intervention is a significant milestone towards establishing a coordinated, transparent, inclusive, and accountable framework.

“The National Assembly remains committed to providing the necessary legislative support and oversight requirements to enhance disaster preparedness, emergency response, relief coordination, rehabilitation, and resilience across Nigeria.”
She further urged the gathered experts, private sector actors, and development partners to contribute practical, innovative ideas that reflect the realities and immediate needs of vulnerable populations throughout Nigeria.

Speaking on behalf of the UN partners , Programme Policy Office of the World Food Programme (WFP), Akeem Ajibola, pointed that humanitarian aid us gradually squeezing globally and this calls for the localisation of strategy to address the challenge.

According to him, “Relief and reintegration remains pivotal in addressing these humanitarian challenges.”
The NPPRI is expected to spell out ways and means of providing relief reintegration packages to vulnerable groups with targeted care and strategic coordination to eliminate duplication among others