The decision was reached during a council session presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu revealed that more than ₦166 billion had originally been requested for the intervention programme.

According to him, the council eventually sanctioned ₦83.2 billion to support preventive measures against flood-related disasters nationwide.

The approved resources will be deployed for initiatives such as disaster forecasting, rapid response planning, community preparedness programmes and other strategies designed to limit flood damage.

Council members also stressed the need for a proactive approach to emergency management, noting that authorities should focus more on prevention rather than waiting to respond after disasters occur.

During the meeting, Vice President Shettima emphasised that the economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration must begin to deliver measurable improvements in the lives of citizens across the country.

He stated that government policies should translate into tangible benefits for farmers, manufacturers, young job seekers, vulnerable groups and future generations, adding that progress should be assessed by outcomes rather than promises.

The Vice President further explained that Nigeria is transitioning from economic stabilisation to increased productivity and implementation, with greater emphasis on coordinated development and effective service delivery.

Shettima also urged the country to move away from exporting unprocessed commodities while importing finished goods, insisting that improved production, efficient port operations and compliance with international standards are essential for boosting exports, rewarding local producers and expanding Nigeria’s presence in global markets.

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*As NEC endorses ward development programme to hasten social protection at grassroots*

*Orders transfer of Surveyor-General’s office to presidency for seamless execution of legacy projects*

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday charged state governors to prioritise the welfare of Nigerians by investing more in their future, putting more money in rural electrification, agricultural mechanisation, poverty eradication and infrastructure.

President Tinubu spoke on Thursday in an address at a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC).

The council endorsed a new ward-based development strategy, Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP), to actualise double-digit economic growth through direct intervention in Nigeria’s 8,809 administrative wards across all 36 states.

President Tinubu’s charge to the governors followed a presentation on the RHWDP by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, at the 150th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) held at the State House Council Chambers, Abuja.

The President implored the governors to do more to positively impact the lives of Nigerians in the grassroots, saying, “I want to appeal to you; let us change the story of our people in the rural areas.

“The economy is working. We are on the path of recovery, but we need to stimulate growth in the rural areas. We know the situation in the rural areas, let us collaborate and do what will benefit the people,” he added.

President Tinubu urged state governors to collaborate with the Federal Government to drive economic development in rural areas across the country. “We have to embrace mechanisation in agriculture, fight insecurity, and improve school enrolment through school feeding,” the President said.

Accordingly, he directed NEC to set up a committee to enhance the actualisation of legacy projects, especially the Lagos-Calabar and the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highways.

He also ordered the transfer of the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation to the presidency to enhance the seamless actualisation of his administration’s legacy projects across the country.

NEC endorsed the new ward-based development strategy, RHWDP, aimed at achieving double-digit economic growth through direct intervention in Nigeria’s 8,809 administrative wards across all 36 states.

RHWDP, which was presented by Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, during the council’s 150th meeting, received full endorsement as a collaborative undertaking between federal, state and local governments.

It is anchored on President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to achieve a $1 trillion economy by 2030, requiring a growth rate of 15%, while the current rate sits below 4%.

The RHWDP draws its legal framework from the 1999 Constitution and the Fifth Alteration Act, which mandates state policy toward ensuring food security and improved production methods.

Its key targets include sustainable support for economic activities with minimum thresholds of 1,000 economically active individuals for smaller wards and 2,000 for larger ones.

A National Steering Committee comprising representatives from all six geopolitical zones will oversee implementation, with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning as secretariat.

Council also directed the strengthening of State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) across all 36 states of the federation and asked the Federal Ministry of Finance to release emergency funds to address impending flood effects.

The council’s resolution came following a presentation by Mrs. Zubaida Umar, Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency.

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