THE United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has reviewed the contingency plan for Nigeria during a three-day workshop organized by UNICEF and NEMA.
In his address at the workshop, which kicked off on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, and ended on Friday, October 21, 2022, in Makurdi, Benue State, for the North Central Zone, the Director-General of NEMA, Mr. Mustapha Habib Ahmed, stressed the need for stakeholders in disaster management to marshal out a proactive disaster management plan and system to reduce losses during disaster or emergency situations in the country.
The D-G NEMA, represented by the NEMA North Central Zonal Coordinator, Mr Eugene Nyelong said it was a universally recognized fact that “preparedness before the occurrence of disaster helps to a large extent to reduce both human and property losses.”
According to him, efficient organisation and detailed planning help to mitigate the impact of disasters and also lead to early recovery and rebuilding of affected segments of society.
“It is in light of this, that NEMA in collaboration with UNICEF is reviewing the National Contingency Plan for the country at the sub-national level.
“The review strategy adopted is bottom up, with a consultative and participatory approach; hence, the calibre of stakeholders present in this workshop,” he said.
The Director-General appreciated UNICEF for making the workshop a reality and participants that came from states within the regions adding: “I charge participants to make a useful contribution to enriching the working document.”
Addressing participants at the programme which kicked off yesterday in Makurdi, the UNICEF Emergency Specialist, Mr. Yinka Afolabi stated that the global organization and NEMA as well as other partners were out to achieve a bottom-up approach to contingency planning by getting the states (sub-nationals) more committed to addressing disaster issues within their localities.
“We want the states to domesticate this contingency plan and use it to act or even hold their state government accountable and see what they can do in terms of appropriate actions and resources needed to effectively prepare for and manage emergency disasters.
“We are looking at a situation where the state will take lead action on local emergency situations; the Federal Government through NEMA and other partners can come in and fill-up the gap they cannot easily fill,” Afolabi said.
He expressed satisfaction with how participants were able to explore strategies to mitigate the effects of disasters, specifically how to deal with children, the aged people, livelihoods, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues when disasters occur, and how to combat poverty that occurs as a result of disasters.
Also, Mrs Chisom Ogochukwu Adimorah from UNICEF WASH in Emergency advised participants of the importance of preparedness and response planning as a critical element of disaster mitigation; especially in the area of disease outbreaks and climate-related disasters which Nigeria has experienced a steady rise in the number and magnitude in the past decade. Contingency plans will aid in identifying people and places most at-risk and putting in place structures and measures for coordination and collaboration, information management and appropriate disaster reduction measures needed to avert severe consequences of emergencies.