Cognizant of the country’s deep-rooted problem, the Federal Government has since 1993 adopted a National Policy on Disaster Prevention and Management/ NPDPM/ which aims at tackling disasters and ensuring that famine situations are addressed in ways that reduce people’s vulnerability to such disasters.
According to the NPDPM, relief resources should contribute towards addressing the root causes of vulnerability to famine and food shortages through direct linkage of relief assistance with community-based projects and other development programmes. Such a linkage serves the prevention of human suffering through the availability of relief sources while at the same time promoting development works. The latter includes environmental protection, development of infrastructure, water harvesting, and building up of community assets with drought-proofing content. In line with the Government’s federal structure, a bottom up approach in both the planning and implementation of disaster prevention and preparedness programmes is a key element of the policy. In this regard, the empowerment of regions and sub-regions in disaster management is an important aspect.