The need to improve on emergency response

The recent building collapse that occurred in Abuja is once again a reminder about our nation’s poor response to emergency situations. The time it took to rescue the victims of the collapsed building would have been shortened if the relevant agencies like NEMA are adequately equipped with the needed tools and manpower to carry out […]

The recent building collapse that occurred in Abuja is once again a reminder about our nation’s poor response to emergency situations. The time it took to rescue the victims of the collapsed building would have been shortened if the relevant agencies like NEMA are adequately equipped with the needed tools and manpower to carry out such rescue efforts. To me, the rescue effort was not swift enough and much time was wasted which if the response were swifter could have probably helped to reduce the casualty figures from the collapsed building. It doesn’t auger well for us to continue to treat disasters as unforeseen occurances that only elicit response when they happen. Disaster management is something that should be well entrenched in our national life and the relevant agencies involved in rescue efforts should be on constant alert. We see how countries who sufffer worse disasters than ours manage such occurances and our hope is to see the day when our nation would begin to rise to the ocassion to send a message that human life matters and is precious, and all efforts should be made to bring succour and relief to those who need them.

Abdulrahman Isa, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja