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OPENING REMARKS BY MUSTAPHA HABIB AHMED, DIRECTOR GENERAL, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (NEMA), DURING A ONE WEEK STRATEGIC EXECUTIVE SEMINAR FOR NEMA STAFF AND WIDER NIGERIAN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STAKEHOLDERS HELD AT NAF CONFERENCE CENTRE AND SUITES,
KADO, ABUJA ON 23rd JANUARY, 2023

Protocols:

lam extremely delighted to witness today’s very important occasion of the commencement of the high-level executive seminar for NEMA staff and other senior members of staff selected from State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and other critical disaster management stakeholders. Today’s capacity building training is an outcome of collaboration between the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre
(BUDMC).

BUDMC is a premier institutions that provides world-class
training and technical assistance on disaster management to help reduce risk, build resilience and ensure rapid and sustainable recovery when
disasters strike. The NEMA collaboration with the Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre which dates back to 2009 has
continued to grow from strength to strength.

| am glad to announce to you that we have brought in experts with years
of experience working both in the United Kingdom and overseas to
support governments and multi-national organizations with disaster and crisis preparedness, response and recovery for this high level seminar. There is no doubt that at the end of this program which is tailor made to meet our peculiar needs in Nigeria, participants would be better prepared to face up to both new and emerging disaster challenges in their various areas of operation and the entire Nigerian federation. | say this because not long after | resumed duty at NEMA, | attended an executive Briefing in the United Kingdom organized by BUDMC between 5th and 9th November, 2021 anchored by Mr. Richard Gordon, Director of the Centre and Professor Lee Miles, Professor Crisis and Disaster Management. With the hindsight of recent disaster and humanitarian crises in several hotspots across Nigeria, | felt it has become expedient for this Executive Seminar to be conducted for SEMA Chief Executives and other members of staff of NEMA and those of its partner Agencies. Furthermore, this training has become timely as we begin our preparedness for another cycle of the annually recurring flood disasters in Nigeria. | am therefore, extremely glad that the promise | made has
today become a reality.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as we are all aware, this event is taking place in the immediate aftermath of the devastating 2022 flood disaster which is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. Records indicate that 662 persons have lost their lives, 3,174 others have suffered injury and 2,430,445 individuals have been displaced by the floods. Thousands of houses, hectares of farmlands and several critical national assets were destroyed by the raging floods. NEMA in collaboration with State governments and other partners are currently working assiduously towards the long-term recovery of impacted communities across the nation.

In this regard, there is no better time than now for this training program.
| therefore call upon all participants to use this opportunity to interact
with one another, share experiences and develop holistic approaches to disaster and crisis management in Nigeria. |am confident that the expert -guidance of our resource persons from the Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre will surely make this capacity building program a resounding success. For our distinguished participants from NEMA, SEMAs and our partners who were carefully selected to attend the program, | congratulate you for the great opportunity to explore and equip yourselves with new frontiers of knowledge. The training will certainly enable you learn new ideas and paradigms and also extend your network and fraternity amongst experts in the novel field of disaster management and humanitarian service delivery. | commend all the NEMA staff that have worked assiduously to make this event possible. For our eminent scholars from Bournemouth University, | once more thank you for driving our joint efforts towards the building of critical mass of disaster management expertise for Nigeria. | implore you to take time off, appreciate the great vistas of our. capital city, Abuja and the great hospitality of Nigerians. | | hereby officially declare this executive seminar open.

Abdulkadir Kezo Ibrahim IkonAllah

Assistant chief Information Officer New Media

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