Emergency operation: NEMA to partner FCT counterpart

As part of efforts to strengthen and align its capabilities for effective risk reduction and disaster management throughout the country, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has called for partnership with the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

This call was made by the new Head of Operations Abuja Operation Office, NEMA, Mr. Bitrus Samuel, who was on a courtesy visit to the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss in his office recently.

The NEMA Head of Operations while acknowledging the strategic role FEMA played in risk and disaster control in the FCT, noted that as the National body in the emergency management sector in the country, NEMA would not function effectively without the support and partnership of other emergency management agencies at the different tiers of government.

He stated that the NEMA law made provisions for the setting up of Emergency Management Agencies in the states and in the FCT.

He opined there was a need to harmonise and streamline the relationship existing between NEMA and FEMA and various emergency stakeholders for effective disaster management in Nigeria.

Mr. Samuel also called for regular meetings among relevant stakeholders and strategic partners in the FCT to exchange ideas and reinvigorate effective closer collaborations to address issues relating to risk reduction and disaster management in the FCT.

Continuing, the leader of the NEMA team stated that one of the reasons of their visit was to ascertain the profile of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the FCT to enable NEMA render the desired assistance to them whenever the need arose.

He revealed that some IDPs in the FCT had written to NEMA for assistance to be relocated to their original homes claiming that they faced untold hardship in the FCT.

The NEMA official said that the knowledge of the status of IDPs in the FCT would enable his agency help them. He also said the national feeding programme was ongoing in IDPs camps in the North East and that a proper identification of the IDPs’ status in the FCT through the effort of FEMA would assist NEMA in its programs.

The visitors requested FEMA to coordinate all partnership with relevant bodies in the regulation of building and construction generally to curb the incessant cases of building collapse and some of the major disasters in the FCT.

Responding, the Director General, FEMA Alhaji Idriss congratulated Mr. Samuel on his well-deserved appointment as Head of Operation of Abuja Operation Office NEMA and promised the support of FEMA to ensure a hitch free tenure.

AlhajiI driss noted that both NEMA and FEMA were interdependent and that the success of one was success of the other, hence the need to work together for better management of disaster and risk reduction in the FCT and the Nation at large.

He further stated that the activities of FEMA in the FCT was critical because FCT is the seat of power and situations of disaster could easily get out of control if not properly managed, he promised to activate the process of sustaining a closer and sustainable working relationship with NEMA which is the parent body of FEMA and other stakeholders through regular meetings conferences and symposia among other things. He equally suggested that a synergy between the two bodies was geared towards the effective management of disaster and reduction of risks throughout the Federation.

Also responding on the status of the IDPs, Alhajii driss urged NEMA to join hands with FEMA in profiling the IDPs as new IDP’s settlement are still springing up daily.
“We have to continue profiling to get the actual figure, then we can bring the issue of evacuating them”, he concluded.