Protocol ….
l am delighted to welcome you to the Emergency Coordination Forum and Technical Meeting to analyse 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction. The climate challenges last year raised lots of questions about our ability to respond efficiently to evolving disaster trend and impact. So many humanitarian response activities took place that should be evaluated to enable the stakeholders in disaster management address areas of needs and set goals for better response this year.
This informs the convenance of this Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF), aimed at strengthening multi-sectoral preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. You will agree with me that given the increasing complexity of disasters, fostering inter-agency collaboration through structured fora like this is essential and crucial.
This (ECF) is convened to provide the needed platform for principal actors in disaster management to collectively and critically evaluate all the activities related to 2024 preparedness, mitigation and response under-taken by relevant agencies at Federal, State and Local Government levels. We are to reflect and analyse what happened, why if happened, what we did correctly, gaps identified and how to improve on our performances. Also, it will capture lessons
learnt and bring up recommendations that can improve our institutions to coordinate actions that will guide future disaster management process in Nigeria. An After-Action Review is geared towards improving performance by reflecting on activities or experience, thereby avoiding past mistakes and replicating successes. After Action Review tool is a means to hone our institutions to high reliability organizations. It is one method by which we at NEMA have chosen to capture lessons learnt and identify recommended changes for implementation.
Additionally, NEMA, as part of its mandaie, is analysing the 2025 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) released by NiMef. The aim is to consider the social-economic implications of the SCP as it affects climate-sensitive sectors such as Agriculture, Water Resources Management, Livestock production, Transportation, Environment, Health, Disaster Management, and Communication. The outcome of this will be a Climate related disaster preparedness and mitigation (early warning) strategy that will aid efficient early action (preparedness, mitigation and responses} for Federal, State and Local Government Authorities. Also, NEMA in collaboration with UNICEF conducted Nigeria hazard risk country wide analysis which thoroughly evaluated the areas of hazards in Nigeria to generate risk information. The information in the document contains measures that contribute to a decrease impact from hazard and enhance effective preparedness and mitigation. This is a policy document that relevant stakeholder
should leverage upon for efficient preparedness action.
Flood hazard management is a multi-agency responsibility. We want to thank all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies that
collaborated, co-operated and supported us during the 2024 flood management activities. We are grateful to NiMet, NIHSA, Ministries of Water Resources, Agriculture and Food Security, Information, |OM, UNOCHA, UNICEF and other international partners that have supported in one way or the other. We must thank the Nigeria Armed
Forces for their support in our preparedness, mitigation and response to flood. You are all worthy partners.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered to learn lessons aimed at improving the national systems, preparedness, mitigation and response effectiveness towards future risk occurrences in Nigeria. I urge you to kindly accord this meeting the attention it
deserves to achieve the desired objective in creating a resilient Nigeria. Finally, I appreciate all our stakeholders present here and the Media for your support and commitment toward effective and efficient disaster management in Nigeria.
Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
