Assessing NEMA’s Performance

Experts in disaster
management insist that emergency situations are capable of causing untold physical and emotional stress.
They note that emergencies can occur from fire outbreaks, insurgents’ activities, chemical spills, flood disasters, gun attacks or bombings and physical threats, among others.
They, however, note that the varying causes of emergencies notwithstanding, a practical understanding of the emergency situations and adequate responses to them will reduce their impacts, while increasing the people’s chances of survival.
With regard to the management of emergency situations in Nigeria, observers believe that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has consistently played significant roles, particularly in efforts to address issues relating to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), among others.
NEMA, in recognition of its efficiency, won the 2014 National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) for its impressive achievements in the’ area of timely responses to emergency situations across the country.
Besides, the agency’s Director-General, Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi, was also awarded the national honour of Officer of the Order of Federal Republic (OFR).
The National Productivity Centre, which nominated NEMA for the NPOM, said that the agency was selected for the award after a rigorous process, adding that it found NEMA worthy of the honour.
The centre stressed that the work of NEMA had been visible and effectively felt in crisis situations such as building collapses, air crashes, market fires and flood disasters, among others, across the country.
“The agency’s prompt and continuing interventions in the present humanitarian challenges arising from the insurgency in Borno, Y obe and Adamawa States have seen the delivery of succour to more than four million Nigerians who are in dire need of supports.
“The award to NEMA and honour conferred on Sani-Sidi are not only deserving but also timely recognition of the agency’s daring humanitarian services which cover hazardous areas in efforts to promote sustainability of life in a safe and resilient environment,” the centre said.
Corroborating this viewpoint, Malam Sani Datti, the Resident Information Officer of NEMA in Abuja, said that NEMA had been soliciting the cooperation of relevant response organisations, while harnessing necessary resources for efficient  disaster management in the country.
“By this, the agency frequently organises simulations to upgrade the skills of its workers on how to identify and practise these roles under different disaster  scenarios.
“NEMA has successfully domesticated the global best practices of disaster risk reduction, which emphasises disaster prediction, hazards’ analysis, resilient capacity building and awareness creation.
“To underscore the imperatives of promoting disaster risk reduction, the agency has created a department for proper coordination of the related activities,” he said.
Analysing the agency’s performance, Sani-Sidi said that the number of IDPs in
Nigeria stood at 743, 062 in September, adding that the IDPs were those affected by conflicts and natural disasters in various parts of the country.
He added that out of the number, 676, 975 persons were displaced by conflicts, while 66, 087 persons were displaced by natural disasters.
Speaking at a recent meeting in Calabar, Sani-Sidi said that the number of disasters and its victims had increased significantly in recent years as a result of climate change, insurgency, communal conflicts and skirmishes among farmers and  herdsmen.
He said that NEMA had evacuated more than 10,000 Nigerians at different times  from troubled spots in Egypt, Central African Republic, Libya, Cote d’Ivoire, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia back home.
He, however, solicited the support of all stakeholders to complement the Federal Government’s efforts to provide assistance for IDPs and other victims of emergencies via the agency.
He, nonetheless, pledged that NEMA would continue to collaborate with the  stakeholders in efforts to cater for the IDPs and ensure their safety.
Beyond that, Sani-Sidi said that NEMA had facilitated the development of post-graduate programmes in disaster risk reduction and development studies in some universities.
According to him, the universities include Ahmadu Bello University, University of Maiduguri, University of Ibadan, University of Port Harcourt, Federal University of Technology, Minna and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Furthermore, Sani-Sidi said that NEMA had trained some NYSC members as volunteers, under its Emergency Management Vanguard scheme.
He also said the Grassroots Emergency Volunteers were also trained at local community level, in partnership with local government councils, while the Executive Emergency Volunteers, selected from various fields of endeavours, were trained as well.
“The agency has trained many volunteers across the country’s local government areas; it has continuously facilitated and updated a number of policy instruments for utilisation under various disaster scenarios.
“The simple but detailed content of these documents provide the framework for  the roles and modalities in the activation of the various stakeholders to deal with identified situations,” he said.
Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Manzo Ezekiel, a Senior Information Officer in NEMA, recalled that in December 2013, NEMA presented the draft National Pandemic Response Plans to the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In the light of this, he said that the agency was soliciting stakeholders’ opinion in ongoing plans to amend the Search and Rescue and Epidemic Evacuation Plan to include terrorism as an emergent disaster in Nigeria.
“NEMA has procured special equipment for search and rescue operations in complex situations such as cameras, life detectors, excavators, mobile intensive care units; heights’ rescue apparatus and rapid response intervention vehicles, among others.
“Through advocacy and exemplary leadership, NEMA has convinced many states to establish State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs).
“The agencies have provided the platform for the states to handle emergency situations within their capacities and refer only situations that require greater capacity and resources to the Federal Government through NEMA,” he said.
These efforts notwithstanding, stakeholders urge NEMA to strengthen the ability of vulnerable populations to cope with emergency situations by providing them with coordinated and integrated life-saving assistance.
Kayode Olaitan, writes for NAN.

Kayode Olaitan

Wreckage of a house destroyed by flood in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa, recently. Photo: NAN