Business
NEMA RE-Affirms Commitment To Disaster Management
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was established 10 years ago to help disaster emergency management, response and provision of disaster assistance to victims.
But 10 years after, many Nigerians have not figured out the functions of NEMA due to ignorance.
Speaking to a group of journalists recently in an interactive session, the zonal coordinator of NEMA, south-south, Umesi Emenike said the Agency is coming to the centre stage by coordinating, sensitizing, educating and enlightening people by collaborating with other agencies, organisations, in respect to disaster cases.
Emenike noted that the Agency is poised to alleviate the pain and agony of victims of disaster not just from the area of providing relief measures but by assisting during emergency and providing solutions against disaster.
The rural coordinator revealed that earlier in the year, the Agency had warned that there would be flooding in most part of the country and warned that drainage facilities be cleared, but that warning was not adhered to which subsequently caused flooding in most of the states, including Rivers State.
He said the Agency has been working with humanitarian organisations and volunteers to form a kind of synergy that will help adhere government policy in the country.
Emenike who also dived into the recent amnesty granted by the militants, said NEMA may consider taking steps by looking into the plights of communities that were affected by militant activities in the Niger Delta region with a view to rehabilitating them.
He commended the federal government for the amnesty granted to the militants but pleaded that the communities affected during the crisis should be rehabilitated.
He blamed the public for not reporting disasters to the agency promptly pointing that, the act of not informing NEMA was always responsible why the Agency don’t respond to emergency timely.
Emenike urged that the Agency is fully funded and has all type of equipment in ease of rescue or emergency period.
According to him, During disaster or emergency period, NEMA has the statutory power to order any company to move its equipments to the disaster area immediately. “This is because we collaborate with all the Agencies and organisations in the country he added.
He noted that if crisis or accidents is re ported in time, NEMA is always up in meeting up the task.
The zonal coordinator disclosed that the Agency has commence training of new volunteers in Edo, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers State on ways to manage emergency, response to crisis and general road safety. The training also comprises how to rescue people and victims from vehicle, in road accident.
He however announced that the zonal headquarter in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital will organise a summit for emergency management, simulation exercise at the airport, and other measures, towards saving lives and disasters from occurring.
Emenike further advised Nigerians to always ensure timely report of emergency and disaster related cases to enable them effectively respond to them.
Timely reports of emergency cases to appropriate authorities shall in no small measure enhance the performance of the relevant agencies in managing emergency cases he emphasised.
The NEMA boss recalled that the Agency which was established 10 years ago has succeeded in positioning itself well in some concept through the collaboration with relevant organisations and volunteer groups within and outside the country.
As the ember months set in, the Agency said it always organise workshop and public lectures allowing the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to do the talking, sensitizing, educating the drivers and other road users of the need to be extremely careful while on the road.
Cornerstone of Financial Services
A survey of more than 1 000 global finance leaders undertaken by digital payment network Ripple shows that 72% of respondents believe they need to offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive.
According to Ripple, leaders from the banking, fintech, corporate and asset management sector have made it clear that the “digital asset revolution is happening now”.
“Digital assets are quickly becoming a cornerstone of financial services, underpinned by progressive regulation, growing interest from Tier-1 banks, a steady consumer shift from banks to fintech providers, and booming stablecoin adoption,” Ripple says.
The survey was conducted in early 2026 and the findings released in March.
Stablecoin Boon or Bane?
Ripple has experienced significant success in the stablecoin sector since launching its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in 2024.
With a market cap of $1.56 billion, it is considered a major regulated player in the market.
No doubt the platform was pleased to learn through its own survey that financial leaders were most bullish about stablecoins.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents believed they could boost cash-flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital.
Ripple noted that finance leaders were thinking about stablecoins as more than “just a new way to execute payments”; instead, they viewed them as effective tools for treasury management.
In March 2026, Ripple began testing a new trade finance model built around RLUSD in a bid to increase the speed of cross-border payments.
The pilot initiative, developed alongside supply chain finance company Unloq [https://unloq.com], is running on the XRP Ledger inside a testing framework developed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Asian city-state is one of the platform’s biggest growth markets.
The idea behind the project is to see whether stablecoin-based settlement can streamline trade finance, too often hampered by reliance on intermediaries and slow reconciliation.
The only potential drawback is that if the initiative takes off, the Ripple to USD price could be negatively affected.
Ripple has always championed its native XRP token as a bridge asset, the “middleman” in the process of a financial institution turning dollars in the US into pounds in the UK, for example.
Ripple converts dollars into XRP and then back into pounds.
If RLUSD can do exactly the same thing, questions will be asked about XRP’s relevance.
That is a bridge Ripple will have to cross if it gets to that point.
Tokenisation Partners
Another interesting finding from Ripple’s survey is that most banks and asset managers are seeking tokenisation partners to help execute their strategies.
Some 89% of respondents said digital asset storage and custody were top priority. “Token servicing/lifecycle management also ranks highly for banks at 82%, while asset managers place greater emphasis on primary distribution at 80%,” Ripple found.
The survey also revealed that just more than half of fintechs and financial institutions want an infrastructure provider that can offer a “one-stop-shop solution”. This rose to 71% among corporate financial leaders.
Ripple attributes this to institutions and firms wanting uncomplicated, cohesive systems.
Infrastructure Rules
In its final analysis, Ripple says companies across the board are looking for partners and solutions that are “secure, compliant, battle-tested and that enable growth and execution”.
“The message is clear: infrastructure decisions made today will shape competitive positioning tomorrow.”
No surprise that this is precisely where Ripple is placing much of its focus.