By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

The Executive Director of a Kaduna-based NGO, the BEACON of Transformative and Inclusive Development Center (The BEACON), Mrs Abigail Olatunde, has called for proactive disaster funding to ensure resilience, before ruin.

In a statement issued to newsmen on Monday in Kaduna, commemorating the international day for disaster risk reduction, Olatunde said when the floodwaters rise, they do not ask who you are, but recovery does.

She explained that survival often depends on whether societies invest in prevention or merely pay for disasters after they strike.

She noted that the years’ theme, “Fund Resilience, Not Disasters,” represents more than a financial slogan, but a solution-driven call for accountability, equity, and sustainability.

She emphasised that proactive investment in resilience is both a moral and strategic imperative to safeguard lives and livelihoods.

Olatunde added that at The BEACON, daily experience reveals that vulnerability is not destiny but a result of systemic inequality.

She explained that people with disabilities, older persons, women, and rural families often bear the heaviest burden, not because they are weak, but because planning and infrastructure rarely account for their needs.

She stressed that disaster response must shift from reaction to preparation, noting that funding resilience means funding inclusion, ensuring that no one is left behind before, during, or after a crisis.

She explained that true resilience requires early warning systems accessible to all, schools that can serve as emergency shelters, and healthcare facilities capable of functioning even when roads are cut off.

She said governments, humanitarian actors, and private sector partners must redirect resources from emergency relief to proactive risk reduction, embed inclusive design standards in infrastructure, and establish resilience funds targeting vulnerable communities.

Olatunde emphasised that empowering local actors is central to sustainable preparedness, as communities themselves are the first responders in any crisis.

She maintained that resilience must be built before disaster strikes, not after.

“The cost of inaction is too high for any society to bear,” she said .

She affirmed that every naira, dollar, or policy invested in resilience saves lives, secures futures, and strengthens justice that endures.