Mustapha Habib Ahmed, the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has called on stakeholders to be ready and brace up for the possibility of flooding this year.
Ahmed made the call in light of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s (NIMET) 2023 Seasonal Climate Prediction, which was published last week and predicted that several states this year will have normal to above-average rainfall.
Speaking in Abuja at the weekend, the NEMA DG stressed the need for state governments to support their Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) to be operationally ready as well as establish Local Emergency Committees (LEMCs) for local participation in disaster management.
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Addressing the participants at the close of the International Disaster Management Executive Seminar for Nigerian Emergency Management Stakeholders organized by NEMA with facilitators from Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC), Ahmed said the Agency has already begun its preparation as evidenced in the capacity training seminar.
He commended the course participants and resource persons for their active participation and urged Heads of SEMAs who attended the seminar to spread the knowledge they had learned to their various states.
According to the NEMA DG, the conference was designed to increase disaster managers’ capacity and was specially packaged to address prevalent problems in Nigeria with cutting-edge solutions.
Speaking on behalf of the facilitators, a team member from BUDMC, Professor Lee Miles said the 5-day intensive engagement addressed very crucial and useful disaster management topics that would benefit the country.
Hon. Walaman Sam Igrubia, Chairman of the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, also spoke on behalf of the participants and thanked the NEMA DG for being proactive in setting up the seminar.
Story was adapted from The Guardian.
