Disaster mgt: Comprehensive national action plan necessary to address escalating issues

Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib Ahmed has said that the recent escalation and growing frequency and severity of disasters in form of banditry, boat mishaps, building collapse, urban and market fires coupled with hydro-meteorological hazards powered by climate change and climate variability have ignited the compelling desire to develop […]

Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib Ahmed has said that the recent escalation and growing frequency and severity of disasters in form of banditry, boat mishaps, building collapse, urban and market fires coupled with hydro-meteorological hazards powered by climate change and climate variability have ignited the compelling desire to develop the Nigeria Disaster Risk Management Plan.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja during the stakeholder’s consultation workshop on the development of national disaster risk reduction strategy and action plan 2023-2030, he said the need for the development of the plan arose from the outcomes of the assessment conducted by Overseas Development Institute on behalf of the United Nations Development Program on the Sahel Resilience Program.

He said the assessment was aimed at ascertaining the status of Disaster Risk Reduction in the evaluation of the implementation of Sendai Framework 2015-2030 in the seven West African Sahel countries of Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal, hence the need for a comprehensive document for Disaster Risk Management for Nigeria.

“The compelling demand has therefore led to the commencement of discussions and partnership between NEMA and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on the actualisation of the very important plan.

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“Permit me to remind us that today’s event falls under the Sahel Resilience Project; titled “Strengthening Capacities for Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation for Resilience in the Sahel Region: Fostering Risk-informed Solutions for Sustainable Development,” he said.

Ahmed noted that he has consulted with the governors of Adamawa and Taraba states to explore ways of reducing the rate of occurrence of boat accidents that have resulted in the loss of several lives during the year in riparian communities along Rivers Benue and Niger.

On her part, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sahel resilience project manager, Dr. Reshmi Theckethil said almost half of Nigeria’s population or 91 million people, faces multidimensional poverty such as environmental and health hazards like droughts, floods, epidemics, and man-made disasters such as oil spills and terrorism.

She said challenges from rapid population growth, urbanisation and socio-political issues often contribute to conflicts, violence, and increased insecurity.