Director General National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mustapha Habib Ahmed said the Agency is in better position now, with the continuous human capacity improvement, to provide a well-coordinated and timely response to complex emergencies in the country.
He stated this at the close of an Incident Command System and Emergency Coordination Centre (ICS/ECC) training facilitated by United States of America Forest Service (USFS) with supports from USAID for staff of NEMA and State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs today Friday 5th August 2022 in Abuja).
He said “the series of training programs by the United States of America Forest Service as coordinated by USAID have no doubt advanced NEMA expectations of deploying Incident Command System for effective disaster response in Nigeria.
“I make bold to say that, we are now in a better position to provide a well-coordinated and timely response to complex emergencies to save lives and enable speedy recovery.
The Director General NEMA further said that “the ICS will equally enable us to deploy and utilize our human and material assets in a more efficient manner during sudden onset emergencies.”
While appreciating the facilitators of the training, he said the long term Nigeria-USA partnership has continued to yield positive impacts as he commended staff of the US Embassy for driving the partnership.
He congratulated the participants for successful completion of the training and advised them to utilize the knowledge in the improvement of disaster management and benefits of all.
In his remark, the lead facilitator, Mr Scott Dehnisch of the USFS said the training modules were developed to meet specific expectations to further improve capacities for efficient coordination and utilization resources in disaster management. He also expressed confidence in the sustenance of the renewed partnership and continuation of the training series.
Director Human Resource Management NEMA Malam Musa Zakari, who also participated in the training explained that it was very intensive, covering critical aspects of command and resource utilization in the management of complex incidences and situations.
Some of the other participants that also spoke were the Director General Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency Idris Garba Abbas and Executive Secretary Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency Muhammad Muazu Mukaddas. They both appreciated NEMA for facilitating the participation of SEMAs in the training and commended the resources persons and the USA for their supports towards improvement of disaster management in the country.