….Shettima urges states to remove export barriers hindering farm produce from global markets
The Federal Government has approved the sum of N83.2 billion for interventions aimed at mitigating the impact of anticipated flooding and other climate-related emergencies across the country.
The approval was granted on Thursday at the 158th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, following a presentation by the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, on the need to proactively address issues associated with flooding, particularly during the rainy season.
The funds will be deployed through the Anticipatory Action Task Force (AATF) to strengthen disaster preparedness and response mechanisms nationwide.
The Council noted the importance of the AATF in addressing disasters and emergencies, stressing that the government can no longer afford to always take reactionary measures when it comes to emergency and disaster management.
Speaking at the meeting, Vice President Shettima called on state governments to work with the Federal Government in resolving logistical and compliance barriers preventing Nigerian farm produce from reaching international markets.
He emphasized that the country’s economic transformation depends on a complete value chain—linking farms to factories, factories to standards, standards to ports, and ports to markets.
“We cannot continue to export raw materials and import finished prosperity,” the Vice President stated.
Shettima also noted that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must now produce visible results across the federation, adding that the Council’s work must be judged by what changes in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
“A federation does not earn its prosperity by leaving its most vulnerable behind and hoping they catch up. The dignity of the citizen with the least is the floor beneath which we have resolved that no Nigerian shall fall,” he said.
The Vice President further assured that the Council would confront bottlenecks weakening Nigeria’s agricultural exports, particularly challenges affecting the movement of goods through ports and compliance with international market standards.
“A nation that cannot move its goods has imprisoned its own farmers. Meeting international standards is not submission to foreign demand. It is the price of the markets that will reward our labour,” he added.
The approval of the N83.2 billion intervention fund marks a significant shift from reactionary to proactive disaster management, as the government seeks to protect farmers, vulnerable communities, and critical infrastructure from the devastating effects of flooding and climate-related emergencies.
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