The Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs Zubiada Umar, says the agency is focused on reducing the timing and identifying gaps in emergency preparedness and response in the South-East.
Umar said this at the opening of a two-day workshop on Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) Stakeholders’ Engagement Workshop being organised by NEMA in collaboration with the World Bank Group and Enugu State Government in Enugu on Monday.
Represented by NEMA’s Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Dr Onimode Bamidele, the director-general said that the workshop represents not just another engagement, but the culmination of a far-reaching journey that began months ago.
According to her, across some locations in the country, we have witnessed first-hand the power of collaboration, innovation, and local commitment in strengthening Nigeria’s emergency preparedness and response capacity at the sub-national level.
Umar said, “Today, as we gather in Enugu, we do so with both reflection and optimism.
“Reflection, because we can now see the tangible outcomes of what collaboration between NEMA, State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), and the World Bank Group can achieve.
“And optimism, because the groundwork we have collectively laid in these (initial) seven pilot states provides a scalable model for other parts of the country.
“Enugu State itself stands as a strategic and symbolic conclusion to this phase; a state of rich history, civic strength, and a growing commitment to sustainable disaster management systems.
“With the leadership and vision of His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah, we are confident that Enugu will consolidate the gains of this project and champion the resilience agenda across the South-East region.”
Speaking, Gov. Peter Mbah commended NEMA for the vital workshop aimed at sharpening and deepening disaster management and response within states, local governments and community levels in the country.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said that the state government would continue to build resilience and capacity of emergency organisations and agencies in the state.
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“The outcome, knowledge and resolutions of this workshop will be stepped down to the council areas and communities to ensure that they know the right actions, when and where to apply them to safeguard lives and livelihoods.
“As a government, we are committed to building resilience at every level of disaster management and response for the benefit of all,” he said.
Corroborating, Dr Oluwaseun Olowoporoku, Urban Specialist (World Bank), said that the world bank was interested in developing a robust Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) plan through stakeholders’ inputs.
“These inputs, which would be documented as a working document, would be used to close all previously noticed gaps in manpower, training, equipment and legal framework to improve timing and ensure robust emergency response interventions,” he said.
The workshop is being attended by officers of Federal Fire Service, NSCDC, Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC) members.
Others are: Focal persons from Water Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) from local government areas; personnel from state Ministries of Health, Environment and Gender and Social Protection as well as the media among others.
