The National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) has said it would work with coaches in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to make youths resilient in disaster management.
The Director of Training, NEMA, Mr Daniel Gambo, made the remark at the opening of a three-day “Public Safety Through Football Integrative Training“ organised by Search & Groom Youth for Development Centre in Abuja.
He said engaging coaches in training camps where they would curb the excesses of children through sporting activity was important as it would make them more responsible citizens.
“Honestly the agency is highly elated and very appreciative of your endeavour that has to do with community resilience, building capacity to help in response to disaster whenever they happen.
“NEMA is gladly partnering with that, more so that it has to do with youths and you know these are the power of the nation, and if we can build their resilience we are actually building our own future, we the older ones.
“Because by the time you empower youths with such passion to save lives, you will find that they go all out to make sure that the older ones, aged ones, the vulnerable ones are well-protected and well-taken care of.
“No time given in the cause of learning to help others that is wasted; you will be rewarded here on earth and you will be rewarded in the hereafter; so, there is no adventure in this regard that is actually time-wasting.“
Gambo said NEMA was working on how coaches could be integrated into the executive volunteer corps that could be called upon at any given time to help in camps and in disaster zones.
According to him, any time spent helping others will be rewarded.
He said, “We have the Executive Volunteer Corps; this Executive Volunteer Corps encompasses all strata of vocation – mechanical engineers, electrical, civil, medical, health, in all aspects of health including physical education.
“And to have you incorporate into the NEMA Executive volunteer corps it’s a very good platform whereby we have your data base and could be called upon at any time to help in camp management.“
Mr Clive Lessem, the Director Development & Strategy, Mifalot Education and Society Enterprises, an NGO, said the initiative was meant for the training of football coaches to become community leaders.
He said the NGO had been successful in mobilising the coaches and training them on how to become the major players in organising the community during disasters.
The three-day training sponsored by Motorola Solutions Foundation on Public Safety had 40 coaches representing FCT.