The National Emergency Management Agency Thursday 26th August 2021 held a National Consultative Workshop in Abuja with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including Executive Secretaries/Heads of State Emergency Management Agencies, Representatives of Centres for Disaster Risk Management Studies from the designated Universities and all Heads of NEMA Zonal, Territorial and Operations Offices.
The Workshop was declared open by the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq who was represented by the Deputy Director Disaster Management Dr Abubakar Suleiman.
The Director General of NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed in his keynote address said the Agency was already monitoring the flood situation in the country to activate Emergency Operations Centres when necessary to conduct search and rescue as well as assessment in affected areas.
He called on all stakeholders to work together to strengthen community resilience to flood in the country.
He said “as part of our collective responsibilities Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) need to always come together with the view to plan for effective response to flood, to save lives, destruction of properties and infrastructures. “
The NEMA DG said the workshop was imperative as one of the expedient steps necessary to collectively prepare for and provide strategies to strengthen flood risk mitigation and effective response among disaster management stakeholders in the country.
Highlighting the flood situation so far this year, he said there have been reported cases of flooding in 210 Local Government Areas in 32 States and Federal Capital Territory with attendant loss of lives, livelihoods and properties.
In view of the emerging situation, the Director General of NEMA said the workshop was also called to strategise and “define effective process that will allow stakeholders at State, Local Government and community levels to prepare sufficiently to mitigate as well as respond to anticipated climate risk and secondary hazards whenever the need arises.”
“NEMA will continue to count on the continuous cooperation and collaboration of all its stakeholders in collectively working towards saving lives, properties and attending to the distressed in our society, ” he added.
Earlier, the Director of Planning Research and Forecasting of NEMA Alhaji Alhassan Nuhu said the workshop was a continuation of the Agency’s planned activities since the release of the 2021 Seasonal Climate Prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Service Agency and the Annual Flood Outlook by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency.
