PurposeDevelopment of a disaster response plan at a national level is regarded as the best way to undertake country-level disaster management in a well-coordinated manner, involving all stakeholders in well-built networks. Where developed national disaster response plans (NDRPs) are to be subjected to evaluative assessments from time to time to establish their strengths and weaknesses in disaster response processes. Only about 20 of the world's 195 countries have NDRPs, and only three of them have undergone some form of evaluation. This paper contributes toward filling this gap by evaluating the NDRP of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Lessons from the implementation of this NDRP will help guide the development of the plans in countries where they do not yet exist.Design/methodology/approachNetwork and qualitative content analysis was employed to subject the Nigerian NDRP to critical evaluation using standards already established in the literature for the development of management networks and their use in disaster response. The experiences of other countries with developed NDRPs were also used to guide an effective evaluation process.FindingsFindings of the study show that the Nigerian NDRP is deficient in many respects, particularly in the areas of weak development of networks, absence of roles-differentiation for various stakeholders, lack of specified achievable and hence monitorable targets, objectives and outcomes and absence of detailed response plans for specific disaster types. The plan needs to therefore be subjected to a detailed multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder review to get it strengthened.Originality/valueThis is the first attempt to conduct an evaluative assessment of Nigeria's NDRP and the 4th in the world. The study's findings can help not only to strengthen Nigeria's NDRP, but also to develop similar plans in other countries around the world.