NEMA DG Scores Grassroot Emergency Management Low

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), weekend, scored the grassroot emergency management capabilities low especially as regards risk analysis, data generation and early warning services.

The Director General, NEMA, Muhammad Sani-Sidi, made this disclosure in a press statement signed by the South-west Zonal Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Farinloye, at the end of the International Symposium of Integrated Disaster Risk Governance held in Beijing, China.

Co-organised by United Nation International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and Peoples’ Republic of China, he said the symposium focused on the issues of government and governance in DRR from different perspectives, including political institutions, economic development, science and technology, culture and social participation.

In the statement which was made available to me, the DG blamed the gross inadequate funds at the state and local government levels for the challenges hampering effective and efficient disaster risk reduction and emergency management in the country.

He said the low level of disaster risk participation at the local government areas and communities in which only 53 out of the 774 local government areas of Nigeria, has some semblance of emergency management institution.

He also decried the poor implementation of the few existing disaster action plans and mitigation strategies, adding that the weak enforcement of the land use planning structures, which are built on risk prone areas, are some of the obstacles hampering implementation of hazard identification, assessment and mapping programmes.

Sani-Sidi who also identified inadequate equipment for critical stakeholders for effective preparedness and response as one of the major challenges, stated that fire service stations are far below the recommended numbers par communities.

He said, "Thus the symposium was convened to bring together informed government official and scientists to share their achievements and experience, to identify challenges and bottlenecks in the implementation of the current Hyogo Framework for Action and also provide recommendations and inputs for the formulation of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

"For us, Nigeria through NEMA has been working in all the priority areas, most especially in the areas of institutional framework for DRR; risk assessment, monitoring and early warning; disaster education and capacity building as well as preparedness – disaster plans, drills and stakeholder engagement\coordination.

"In Africa, Nigeria is one of the foremost countries with high level of commitment to the implementation of the HFA.

Therefore, there is need for encouragement of the private sector participation in disaster risk reduction.

"Conflict prevention and management should be included amongst the key priorities of Framework 2 as well as taking into consideration peculiarities of Africa and other developing nations."

He also called for focus on issues of conflicts, gender and people living with disabilities that should be addressed.