NEMA Harps On Disaster Management

Disaster management and disaster risk reduction have become critical to human survival in Nigeria, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),has said.

Stating this in Enugu at a Two-Day Training Workshop on Special Communication Modalities for Disabled People, the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammed Sani Sidi, noted that human and material losses associated with disasters in Nigeria are on the increase with grave consequences for the survival, dignity and livelihood of individuals and societies, especially the disabled, who are the most vulnerable ones.

He expressed fears that natural disasters that occurred in Japan and Haiti could befall Nigeria. According to him, emphasis on disaster management should focus on communities and the people who live in them, as well as the disabled people.

The training workshop, which was facilitated by the Disabled Rehabilitation Foundation(DRF), also involved relief and rehabilitation officers, both at the national and state levels.

Represented on the occasion by NEMA zonal Director, South East, Dr Bandele Onimode, Alhaji Sidi implored  the trainees to concentrate and acquire the knowledge and skills, so as to promptly respond to the

yearnings and needs of people living with disability in all phases of emergency and disaster.”

According to him, “It is worthy of mention that the agency attaches great importance to the welfare of the vulnerable groups in emergency, disaster and crisis situations in Nigeria.

It is against this backdrop

that a Vulnerable Group Care Unit was established”.

Efforts, he said,  were ongoing in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to fine-tune the unit’s contingency plan, which would serve as Standard Operating Procedure.

The NEMA boss further expressed the hope that   the training would go a long way in exposing the participants to the basic skills required for the purposes of understanding and responding to the hearing impaired, especially totally deaf population in emergency and crisis situations in Nigeria.

Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary, Enugu NEMA, Mr.Joe Offor, said during emergencies, “the disabled who are made vulnerable by their condition are the worst affected as they normally need special assistance to cope with the situation.”