Vice President, Kashim Shettima has called for a transformative partnership to confront the growing humanitarian and environmental crises across Nigeria, urging for solutions that inspire unity and sustainable development.

He made this appeal on Friday during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), led by its Nigeria Chief of Mission, Sharon Dimanche, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Speaking on the urgent need for integrated approaches, Shettima emphasized that the issues of climate change, migration, poverty, and insecurity are deeply intertwined.

“We must either learn to live together as brothers, or we are going to die together as fools,” he quoted Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting the need for national unity in the face of shared adversity.

The Vice President, who has long collaborated with IOM since his tenure as Governor of Borno State, urged the organization to extend its support to North Central Nigeria where environmental degradation and displacement are intensifying.

In a passionate appeal for inclusive progress, Shettima decried poverty and illiteracy as root causes of insecurity, linking ecological damage directly to economic challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. He called for expanded efforts in gender empowerment and land reclamation, stressing that progress can only be achieved when all Nigerians are uplifted.

“We are essentially one people with a common destiny, united by our common challenges,” he asserted.

Dimanche, in her first official meeting with the Vice President since assuming office, praised Nigeria’s progress in disaster preparedness and migration governance, describing the country as “one Africa wrapped into one nation.”

She highlighted the successful launch of the State Action Plan on Floods and the Framework for Anticipatory Action, citing them as examples of Nigeria’s readiness to tackle climate-linked crises.

Reaffirming the IOM’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s long-term recovery and development goals, Dimanche proposed a new collaborative initiative focused on youth empowerment, climate resilience, and sustainable migration.

“We seek the government’s guidance to co-develop initiatives that can deliver real, durable solutions to the people affected by crisis,” she said, signaling a strong partnership ahead.

With both leaders aligned on the urgency of addressing climate-induced migration and social inequality, marking not just a diplomatic engagement, but a call to collective action for inclusive progress and national healing.