Nigeria renews commitment to disaster risks reduction – NEMA boss

Nigeria renews commitment to disaster risks reduction – NEMA boss
Nnenna Okoronkwo and Hauwa Anaja Abu, Abuja

The 2011 International Disaster Risk Reduction Day has been described as a clarion call for a singular global action on risk reduction as a wider community participatory approach.

The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mr Muhammed Sani Sidi announced at a ceremony to mark the day on Thursday in Abuja that NEMA had made appreciable efforts in implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action in Nigeria, especially as it affects education and the young people.

“We have implemented priority three of the framework by encouraging the use of knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels”, Mr Sidi said.

 The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, states that about 66 million children are affected by disasters every year, globally.

Disaster Risk Management Centres

Sidi also said NEMA had established centres for Disaster Risk Management in six Federal Universities where post graduate degrees in disaster risk management are awarded.

“We are supporting these centres financially and will continue to support them until they become Canters of Excellence”, he added.

Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in schools

NEMA has also partnered the National Educational Research and Curriculum Development Council to mainstream disaster risk reduction into basic and post-basic curricula in Nigeria, which would allow for key risk reduction measures and knowledge to be infused into various subjects.
“In addition, we have encouraged the establishment of Disaster risk reduction clubs in schools. The National Youth Service Corps members are also not left out and have been included as partners and vanguard in the process of building disaster resilient societies”, he explained.

State and local government intervention

The NEMA boss however urged local and state governments to make disaster risk reduction a priority.

He complained that disasters had continued to increase as a result of climate change, but aggravated by unplanned and unregulated land use, weak environmental controls, poor building standards, urbanization amongst others.

“These problems can be best tackled at the states and local government levels. It is in recognition of this that NEMA engaged the states and local governments in discussions through stakeholders meetings and workshops on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
Therefore, we must ensure that every sector integrates disaster resilience in its development planning and implementation through appropriate technical expertise and human resource capacities”, he added.

He further called on Nigerian youths to step up efforts of spreading the message of disaster risk reduction in schools, families, neighbourhoods, communities and via social network media.

Ekata