The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NEMA

  • NEMA gives relief materials to victims

    NEMA gives relief materials to victims

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has distributed relief materials worth millions of Naira to disaster victims in Ebonyi State.

    The tragedies include fires at Awolowo Street and Chief Liga’s Compound in Abakaliki where about 64 rooms were razed.

    The Federal Government Girls’ College in Ezzamgbo which suffered was among the beneficiaries.

    While handing over the materials to the government for distribution, the Southeast Coordinator of NEMA, Major James Eze urged landlords and tenants to ensure strict observance of safety standards at all times.

    He said: “The state safety enforcement officers should ensure that buildings meet the required safety standards, even as he said occupants of such buildings must possess serviceable fire extinguishers.

    “We urge landlords to insure their property against fire to protect them from financial ruin because no government would have the resources to assist in every misfortune suffered by citizens.”

    He also expressed dismay at the inability of the state fire service to react promptly to the fire outbreaks, leading to complete destruction of properties.

    Items donated included mattresses, bags of rice, beans, maize, mosquito nets, blankets, cartons of soap and detergents, among others.

    Receiving the items on behalf of the state government, the chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Rev. Ephraime Ononye promised to ensure prompt and judicious distribution of the items to the victims. terials to Rev. Ononye

     

  • 2.1m IDPs still in 34 camps, says NEMA

    2.1m IDPs still in 34 camps, says NEMA

    There are still 2.1 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in 34 camps in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, has said.

    He said 2,400 pupils from IDP camps were transferred to Unity Schools to continue their education on scholarship by the Save School Initiative programme, supported by ex-British Prime Minister Mr. Gordon Brown.

    Speaking yesterday in Kaduna after receiving the Best PerformingCivil Servant and Best Organisation for Good Governance awards from the Northern Youth Council, the NEMA boss said with efforts of the military, leading to the liberation of seven councils under Boko Haram, the country had passed the emergency stage in the Northeast.

    He said reconstruction and rehabilitation of the zone should begin, as the war was almost over.

    “In the last five years, we had insurgency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, which made the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the states. There was displacement of people. We still have 2.1 million Internally Displaced Persons with over 1 million in Borno State.

    “We had to establish camps in the three states. There are about 26 camps in Borno, 11 in Adamawa and four in Yobe. We used to have IDP camps in Gombe and Bauchi states, but due to the success recorded under this administration, the seven councils controlled by the insurgents have been liberated. The 11 camps in Adamawa State have been collapsed to four, as IDPs return to their homes.

    “Government has policies and programmes to support those displaced. The presidential committee for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the displaced people is led by Gen. T.Y. Danjuma and the Save School Initiative, a public-private partnership programme. These are geared towards supporting youths.

    “Schools were shut in the last two years and some have not been reopened. Two thousand four hundred children were transferred under the Safe School Scheme from the Northeast to other parts of the country. There is a programme of building and rehabilitation of the affected schools in the three states. The government is doing a lot to support the IDPs, who are fed three times daily.”

    The President of the Northern Youth Council, Malam Isah Abubakar, said NEMA and its DG were given awards to appreciate their efforts and motivate them and other organisations to do more.

  • Yuletide: NEMA, FRSC educate motorists on the road

    Yuletide: NEMA, FRSC educate motorists on the road

    The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have taken safe driving campaign to major highways as Nigerians travel across the country to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

    Speaking shortly before the take-off of the on-the-road campaign along Kaduna-Abuja expressway Thursday, NEMA’s North-West Zonal Coordinator, Musa Illalah, said such campaigns have tremendously contributed to reduction in road crashes during the yuletide seasons on our highways.

    “This is an annual event we organize at this time of the year to sensitize drivers on safe driving. In this Eid-Maulud, Christmas and New Year celebrations it is important to. We are always supporting the Federal Road Safety Commission whose mandate is to oversee the roads and the road users.

    “We think we have an obligation as the agency charged with the responsibility of managing disasters to support any safety campaign. These campaigns have tremendously contributed to reduction in road crashes during the yuletide seasons on our highways.

    “Specifically, these campaigns and support the suppport NEMA is rendering is targeting and extended to all the four entry points to Kaduna. That is the Kaduna-Abuja highway, Kaduna-Kachia highway, Kaduna-Zaria highway and the Kaduna-Birnin highway.

    “We intend to be on these roads within between now and the next seven days to provide the needed support to FRSC so that together we can minimize the rates of accidents on our roads.

    “It is a known fact that we witness more loss of lives on road accidents in this country than in any other emergency we have. And that is why the FRSC has a very big mandate further watch the extensive road networks we have in this country. All the government agencies, individuals and private bodies in this country should support the FRSC in to achieve this mandate because they cannot do it alone,” he said.

    In his remarks, the unit commander of FRSC Kakau in Kaduna, Ademola Obafemi, called on drivers to avoid over speeding, drinking and overloading. He said that such acts exacerbate road crashes.

    He commended NEMA for always supporting them in the campaign, saying that their support and partnership has always yielded positive results.

     

  • Kano blast: Death toll rises to 19

    The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Alhaji Sani Sidi has confirmed that 19 people lost their lives following the deadly GSM market blast in Kano.

    Sidi said on Thursday at Aminu Kano teaching hospital (AKTH) while presenting drugs and other consumables to the hospitals treating victims of the blast who had sustained various degree of injury.

    According to him, it was the mandate of the national emergency management (NEMA) to quickly respond to emergency situation, adding that the kano blast was an episode considered to be serious by the federal government.

    The director general of NEMA who was represented by Director Search and rescue, Air Commodore Charles Otegbede stated that the success recorded in rescuing victims of the blast that has survived was as result of effective collaboration between NEMA officials on ground and other stakeholders.

    He stressed that the feat will not have been achieved without government commitment and sincerity of purpose.

    He also appreciated the concern of some good Samaritans in donating bloods to the victims of the blast, affirming that it was NEMA’s mission to ensure that all that was needed is procured.

    Receiving the donation on behalf of the three hospitals, the Chief Medical Director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Dr. Sani Mijinyawa said the quick response by NEMA was an effort worth appreciating, adding that with judicious management of the drugs, donated in the past by NEMA victims of Wednesday blast were poised to benefit immensely.

    The Chief Medical Director who was represented by Director Pharmacy of the hospital, Pharmacist Habibu Uba Ringim described the gesture as timely, saying the federal government should be commended for showing concern to those afflicted by the deadly suicide attack.

     

     

  • 32 killed in Adamawa market blast

    A blast struck a market in Yola, Adamawa, on Tuesday evening, killing 32 people and wounding 80 others, both the Red Cross and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said.

    The explosion occurred at a fruit and vegetable market beside a main road in the Jimeta area of Yola at about 8:00pm (1900 GMT), Reuters reported.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the blast bore the hallmarks of the Boko Haram sect which has killed thousands over the last six years in its bid to create a state adhering to strict Sharia law in the northeast.

    “32 people were killed and 80 have been injured,” said a Red Cross official who asked not to be named.

    NEMA regional spokesman, Alhaji Sa’ad Bello, later gave the same casualty figures.

    Suspected Boko Haram militants have carried out attacks in neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon in recent weeks but have not struck northeastern Nigeria since late October when bombings in Yola and Maiduguri left at least 37 people dead.

    “The ground near my shop was covered with dead bodies. I helped to load 32 dead bodies into five vehicles,” an eyewitness, Alhaji Ahmed, who owns a shop in the market, told Reuters.

    A Reuters witness said he saw eight ambulances being used to carry casualties away for treatment.

     

  • 7 killed, 17 injured in Borno attack – NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed that seven people were killed on Friday morning in a suicide attack inside a mosque at Molai, a settlement on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital.

    The attack also left 17 people wounded according to NEMA spokesman in North-East, Abdulkadir Ibrahim in a short sms message.

    “At umarari bayan waya, at around some minutes pass 5 AM today, 16 Oct, 2015. the suicide attack was carried out by three female suicide bombers.

    “17 casualties were taken to specialist Hospital, seven deaths including the suicide bombers,” Abdulkadir stated.

    According to him, the Village Head of Molai , Alhaji Balama Bako said the female bombers walked confidently into the mosque at about 5.30am and detonated the IEDs, killing seven including the three of them.

    Gov. Kashim Shettima with the Director General of NEMA, Sani Sidi went on a sympathy visit to Molai community and other parts of the metropolis to visits victims of terror.

  • NEMA: 26 bomb victims still in hospitals

    NEMA: 26 bomb victims still in hospitals

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said 26 of the 39 victims of the Nyanya and Kuje bomb blasts are still in hospitals across the Federal Capital Territory.

    Mr Ishaya Chonoko, coordinator of NEMA, Abuja operations, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday that the remaining 13 persons had been treated and discharged.

    Chonoko said there were no fresh cases of injury or death from the Friday blasts.

    NAN recalls that 20 persons were injured in Kuje and 19 in the Nyanya and Kuje bomb blasts, on Oct. 2.

    Chonoko said the agency had no report on any hospital that had refused to treat the victims, contrary to some media reports.

    He said the names of such hospitals should be forwarded to the agency for appropriate action.

    “We have not had such cases and anyone with facts should come forward and the agency will take appropriate action, “he said.

    Twenty persons lost their lives in the Kuje and Nyanya bomb blasts.

  • More floods coming in North, NEMA warns

    •Kebbi begins distribution of relief materials

    The Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi, warned yesterday that more states would be affected by floods this year.

    He said 63 local governments in Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi and Adamawa states were experiencing floods, following torrential rains in the last two weeks.

    Sidi lamented that people ignored the warning issued earlier by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) on the impending flood, saying “many residents are now displaced by the floods.”

    He spoke in Kaduna after touring the affected areas.

    The NEMA DG, who could not address the victims, as they charged at him and his entourage, said the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna management agreed that part of the complex would be used as a temporary camp for the victims.

    When Sidi arrived at the Kigo Road new extension, one of the areas affected by the flood, the victims became furious, abusing him and demanding compensation.

    He sympathised with them, saying: “It is natural for victims to lose temper in these circumstances.”

    Fielding questions from reporters, the NEMA boss said: “The reaction of the victims was not pleasant, but I think it is normal because when people were displaced, especially if they were not prepared, and obviously from what I have seen, they were not prepared for the flood, although they had earlier been warned.

    “You are aware that NIMET, as I said, issued a seasonal rainfall prediction, which showed that northern states would be flooded. As I speak, about 10 councils had been affected in Kaduna State, about 16 local governments in Jigawa, about 17 councils in Kebbi, almost 20 local governments in Adamawa State and other states that were mentioned in NIMET’s prediction.

    “Now we have this situation at hand. Yesterday, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai went round and sympathised with the victims. He promised them assistance.

    “The solution is that people must desist from building houses in flood-prone areas. They should not build houses near natural waterways and green zones. If you build houses in these areas, what you will expect is flood. People should abide by the building regulations. They should open up the drainages and desist from dumping refuse inside them.”

    Kebbi State government has procured materials, including food items and building materials worth millions of naira for distribution to flood victims.

    Governor Atiku Bagudu, inspecting the store control unit in Birnin Kebbi, said the government had bought food items, such as maize, millet and rice for distribution to the victims, adding that building and bedding materials were also procured.

    He thanked NEMA for its intervention.

  • Photo : NEMA DG visits blast victims in Yola

    Photo : NEMA DG visits blast victims in Yola

    .DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (NEMA), ALHAJI SANI SIDI (3RD R) SYMPATHIZING WITH VICTIM OF THE MALKOHI IDPs CAMP BOMB BLAST DURING HIS VISIT TO FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE IN YOLA ON MONDAY. WITH HIM ARE, THE CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE HOSPITAL, PROF. MUHAMMAD AUWAL (2ND R) AND PERMANENT SECRETARY ADAMAWA STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, MR HARUNA HARMAN.
    .DIRECTOR-GENERAL, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (NEMA), ALHAJI SANI
    SIDI (3RD R) SYMPATHIZING WITH VICTIM OF THE MALKOHI IDPs CAMP BOMB BLAST DURING HIS VISIT TO FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE IN YOLA ON MONDAY. WITH HIM ARE, THE CHIEF MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE HOSPITAL, PROF. MUHAMMAD AUWAL (2ND R) AND PERMANENT SECRETARY ADAMAWA STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, MR HARUNA HARMAN.

  • School building collapses in Plateau, four killed

    An Islamic school building collapsed in the town of Bukuru in Plateau State, Nigeria, on Sunday afternoon, killing at least four students and injuring 14 others, the National Emergency Management Agency has said.

    “We are still working under the rubble for more bodies and injured,” Abdulsalam Muhammed, the state coordinator for NEMA, told Reuters.

    The two-storey building collapsed while there were about 40 students of various ages inside, a teacher, Danlami Muhammed, said.

    “We rushed here to find out if our children are alive. We only hope Jamila, my daughter and Saleh are not among the dead,” father Ahmed Abubakar said, who was among the parents who went to the scene.

    One of the parents said the building was poorly constructed by the local community and believed heavy rain had contributed to its collapse.