Nema july2013

A Publication of the National Emergency Management Agency Mohammed Kanar

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Vol. 5 No. 19 July 2013

NEMA SUPPORTS VICTIMS OF EMERGENCY RULE

Ag. Zonal Coordinator

‌ Commissions Gombe Operations Office Musa Ilalla Ag. Zonal Coordinator

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Godwin Tepiko Assistant Zonal Coordinator South-South

DG NEMA Muhammad Sani Sidi handing over a list of relief items to Gombe State Governor His Excellency Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo in his Office

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he National Emergency Management Agency has provided Gombe State Government with relief assistance to support Internally Displaced Persons from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe who are currently residing in the state as a result of the state of emergency in the three states.

NEMA and for allocating a befitting accommodation and storage facility to its Gombe Operations Office.

He assured that more equipment will be deployed to enhance the operational capability of the office.

The DG appealed to the State Government to take the disaster risk reduction campaign by NEMA seriously especially with the 2013 annual rainfall prediction of NIMET and its implications for flooding.

The Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi said while presenting the relief items on behalf of the Federal Government to the Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Hassan DanKwambo in his office that the items are meant to cater for the large number of internally displaced persons in the state as a result of current challenges in the neighboring states.

Receiving the relief assistance, the Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan DanKwanbo, thanked the Federal Government for its prompt response to the plight of internally displaced persons who are residing in the state.

Sani Sidi commended the Gombe State Government for the continuous support and collaboration with

Items presented include food and non food materials.

NEMA Advocates Disaster Management in School Curriculum

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he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Abuja Operation Office has advocated the inclusion of risk and disaster management education in school curriculum.

The Head Abuja Operation office, Mr. Ishaya Chonoko, said the step would help to build greater awareness of disaster management issues across communities. He stated this during a workshop on

children and emergencies, risk reduction and mitigation for students and teachers in Ilorin.

Chonoko said that learning about disaster risk in schools would help children play important roles in saving lives and protecting members of the community in moments of disaster, adding that the workshop was geared towards preparatory measures.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 1.CALL NEMA EMERGENCY CALL CENTER ON: 0800CALL NEMA or (080022556362) -TOLL FREE 0929O5777 092905895 08032003555 2. To give the following information: a. Location of incidence, Accident or Emergency. b. Name of street or location. c. Prominent landmarks. d. Type of Emergency (Fire, Road, Accident, Floods e.t.c ). e. Number of people involved. f. What actions are being taken by agencies on the site, no. of Ambulances e.t.c. g. Any other useful information.

PLEASE NOTE THAT QUICK AND CLEAR INFORMATION WILL ENHANCE QUICK RESPONSE AND CONSEQUENTLY THE SAVING OF PRECIOUS LIVES.

Relief for IDPs in Langtang

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ollowing communal conflicts that affected several communities in Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has delivered relief assistance to provide succor to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the area.

Delivering the items to the IDPs in the camp at Pilot Central Primary School, Mabudi, the headquarters of the Langtang Local Government Council, Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, said the Federal Government was concerned about the condition of the displaced persons and therefore approved the materials as succor to them.

The DG who was represented by the Agency's Director of Search and Rescue, Air Commodore Charles Otegbade, said the Federal Government was committed to supporting the IDPs with necessary humanitarian assistance to enable them to return to their normal activities. He said in addition to the rapid relief assistance, NEMA would undertake detailed assessment to identify specific needs for further assistance.

A member of the House of Representatives from the area, Ms Beni Lar, who witnessed the distribution of the relief materials appreciated the Federal Government for the prompt response by NEMA in providing succor to the displaced persons in her constituency. However, she requested for more support to enable early recovery of the IDPs.

All correspondences should be addressed to: Public Relations Division, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, No. 8, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Maitama, Abuja.

E-mail: nemapress@yahoo.com

NEMA Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 19 July 2013 / Page 2

CAMERAMAN Gerald Oparachukwu CIRCULATION: Nuhu Mohammed CONSULTING EDITOR: Innocent Adikwu

The Federal legislator urged the government to expedite action in resolving conflicts between farmers and nomadic herdsmen in the country.

She urged Non-Governmental Organizations to complement the humanitarian efforts of the government by also providing assistance to the displaced persons in Langtang and the other local government areas that were affected by the communal conflicts.

Responding on behalf of the IDPs, the Galadiman Mabudi, Mr Gambo Jonah, also thanked the Federal Government for the relief materials provided to the IDPs. The relief items distributed including rice, blankets, sanitary materials and mattresses.

NEMA Sensitises Taraba Workers On Safety

for the sake of the distressed

PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alhassan Nuhu SUB-EDITOR Manzo Ezekiel PRODUCTION EDITOR: Sani Datti

Director Search and Rescue Air Cmdr Charles Otegbade and NEMA official supervises the off loading of the relief items at IDPs Camp in Pilot central primary sch Mabudi Langtang

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he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Gombe Operations Office, has sensitised Taraba workers and other stakeholders on how to tackle fire outbreaks and other

disasters.

Head of the Operations Office, Appolos Jediel, said the workshop brought workers and critical stakeholders together to educate them on worksite

emergency evacuation plan with a view to mitigating the impact of such emergencies.

Jediel urged employers in high-rise buildings to ensure safe evacuation measures for their employees by developing a workplace evacuation plan and posting them on each floor; testing all backup safety systems such as emergency lighting and communication systems.

NEMA Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 19 July 2013 / Page 3

19 COUNTRIES BENEFIT FROM NIGERIA'S HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

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he Federal Government, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has provided humanitarian assistance 22 times to 19 countries faced with emergency situations, Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, has said.

Addressing the 2013 Humanitarian Affair Segment of United Nations Economic and Social Council in Geneva, Switzerland, the DG said the assistance were in the form of cash and relief items delivered by the Agency from its inception to date in line with the Nigeria's foreign policy and the spirit of South-South cooperation.

capacity building.

The DG said Nigeria has also received some humanitarian relief donation through NEMA from the international community in the aid of people that were affected by identified disasters. Some of the donors included UNFPA, JICA, KOICA, ECOWAS, Islamic Development Bank, Chad Basin Commission, among others.

He said beside the donations, Nigeria has also benefitted from the support of other international humanitarian actors that have contributed to disaster management in the country through joint partnership to enhance disaster preparedness and capacity development. The Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) conducted after the 2012 flood, Satellite Imageries from the International Charter, Space and Major Disasters of 3 of the States flooded in 2012 and training of internationally recognized camp management and camp coordination are some of the benefits of the partnership.

Participants at 2013 ECOSOC, Geneva, Switzerland

Sani Sidi said the humanitarian gesture has evolved into closer cooperation between Nigeria and some other countries in respect to disaster management.

For instance, he said, Nigeria has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Gambia on sharing of information, assets and manpower for effective disaster management and humanitarian service delivery. As a result, two technical personnel of NEMA are presently in Gambia to support the country's National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) to develop institutional framework and

Also speaking at the occasion, the United Nations UnderSecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination, Baroness Valerie Amos, advised international humanitarian and development actors to work more closely with governments and local authorities to efficiently and effectively address humanitarian issues in the communities.

The Humanitarian Affair Segment of United Nation Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is organized under the auspices of the United Nations.

It would be recalled that the Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, was recently elected to preside over the Regional Committee on Disaster Management in the West African sub-region in recognition of the important roles Nigeria has played in the promotion of disaster management.

NEMA Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 19 July 2013 / Page 4

547M PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DISASTERS GLOBALLY RED CROSS

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n average of 547 million people are affected by disasters globally every year, the Progamme Coordinator of the Nigerian Red Cross Society, Mr. Umar Mairiga, has said.

In a paper presented at a two-day awareness campaign to strengthen early warning system on flood disaster, organised by the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, he said: “An average of 296 million people are affected by 'natural disasters' each year, another 145 million people are affected by drought, while 106 million are affected by flood each year across the globe.

“Also, each year, six times more people are affected by disasters than conflict and these disasters are increasing in frequency and impact,” he said.

Mairiga also said out of the 547 million people affected by such disasters, 80 to 90 per cent of the deaths occurring in such incidents are in underdeveloped and developing countries with consequent damage on their GDP. “The poorest of any society with their fragile livelihood are most affected because they live and work in marginal areas exposed to disasters.

they suffer greater proportional loss of assets accompanied with their weaker capacity to recover,” he stated.

Mairiga who was the programme coordinator pointed out that the 2012 flood in Nigeria, which affected seven million people in 33 states of the federation, was the country's worst flood in 40 years.

He said the Nigerian government must seriously entrench urban planning from the villages to the urban centres as well as enforce building codes to reduce the rate of building collapse in the country.

He also said that the government must ban building of houses in high risk areas such as stream beds, steep slopes and flood prone areas to reduce the rate of casualties when flood occurs.

The coordinator commended NEMA for its proactiveness in managing disasters in the country.

He said their awareness campaign on early warning system and action was a step in the right direction.

Earlier, the NEMA Acting Zonal Coordinator, North Central, Mallam Abdulsalam Muhammed, said the workshop was to improve stakeholders' early warning system and preparedness for early action.

“In fact, disasters make the poorest even poorer;

Disaster management training in communities

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disaster in their domains.

ational Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Gombe Operations Office, has said that it had concluded arrangement to train communities on disaster management.

According to him, bombs and incessant fire outbreaks in cities have caused havoc in which many lives and property worth millions of naira were lost.

Speaking at a workshop organised by the agency on Emergency Evacuation Drill in Gombe, the Head (operations) of the agency in Gombe, Taraba and Adamawa offices, Mr. Jediel Appolos, said the agency had taken a wise decision to train communities on disaster management to enable them to overcome fire

Responding on behalf of Gombe State Government, the acting Head of the Civil Service, Alhaji Yahaya Mahmood, thanked the agency for finding the secretariat complex fit for the exercise, saying that civil servants would take the evacuation drill seriously in order to achieve its goal.

NEMA Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 19 July 2013 / Page 5

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NEMA seeks collaboration to curb flood disaster he National Emergency Management Agency has urged Nigerians to complement government's efforts in mitigating the impact of flooding.

The Commissioner for Environment and Habitat in Oyo State, Lowo Obisesan, said the efforts of stakeholders would go a long way in controlling flooding.

NEMA Coordinator, South-West, Iyiola Akande, made the call during the South-West Zonal Awareness Flood Campaign on early warning and early action for stakeholders in the zone held in Ibadan.

Obisesan, who was represented on the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Modupe Omonigbehin, said, “If we are all ready to give what it takes, if rivers and streams are allowed to go through their channels without obstruction, flooding will be prevented.”

The NEMA official, who recalled that flooding ravaged 23 states of the federation in 2012, said, “The tragedy cost the country an economic loss valued at about N2.6trn”.

He said unlike earthquake, hurricane or volcanic and other natural disasters, flooding could be predicted in scope, time and impact and therefore, could be prepared for.

Akande, who said the workshop was necessitated by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency's prediction of heavy rainfall in the year, added that no fewer than seven million people were affected, with 363 deaths recorded, last year.

The Supervisor for Environment, Oshodi/Isolo Local Government, Lagos State, Felix Ajayi, said, “The lesson from this seminar is to get us prepared to avoid impending losses.“The citizens should stop erecting houses on the flood plains and desist from dumping wastes arbitrarily.”

He said, “The prediction painted a clear picture of what the nation should expect this year when compared with the devastating effect of the 2012 flooding that ravaged about 23 states of the federation.”

The Assistant Coordinator, NEMA South-West, Segun Babatunde, said, “With the level of preparedness, we are hopeful that the impact of flooding will be reduced this year.”

Emergency, Disaster Management Volunteers trained

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he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), North West Zone, has so far trained 3,200 volunteers on response to emergency situations and disaster management in their communities in 16 local government areas.

respective communities.

He noted that good Samaritans often stretched out their helping hands to rescue victims of emergencies and disaster, but lacked the competence and skill to do so.

This, according to him, has prompted NEMA to embark on the training of volunteers on the basics of search and rescue NW Zonal Coordinator Musa Ilallah with Zonal Coordinator, Musa efforts in the zone. He called on Voulunteers in a group photography Ilallah disclosed this at a onethe state governments to day programme in Birnin Kebbi enhance the capacity of the to train and inaugurate volunteers. He said the volunteers at the grassroots level by making annual volunteers would serve as first responders in budgetary provisions for each local government to situations of emergencies and disasters in their train 1000 volunteers.

NEMA Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 19 July 2013 / Page 6

Imo Students trained on Disaster Management

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s part of measures to ensure adequate mitigation and risk reduction during disasters, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South east zone in collaboration with the Imo State Emergency Management Agency has organized a one day workshop for students in secondary schools to help them gain knowledge on emergencies, risk reduction and mitigation.

place to ensure that there is reduction in disaster this year especially after receiving another Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) prediction on heavy rainfall that might occur.

Dr. Onimode added that it was also an avenue to educate the students who are mainly disaster risk club members on how to manage emergencies, risk reduction and mitigation in their immediate environment.

The workshop with the theme “Role of children in emergencies, risk reduction and mitigation in secondary schools in Imo state”, was held at Government Secondary school in Owerri, the Imo state capital.

He added that it is the mandate of the NEMA to go to nooks and crannies of the country to sensitize and educate people on risk reduction and disaster management.

The South East Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Bandele Onimode said the workshop was aimed at ensuring that adequate measures and sensitization are put in

Students who participated in the workshop expressed delight over what they have learnt, saying it is an eye opener for them in terms of risk reduction and mitigation of disaster.

NEMA ready for flood in South-East

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he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) assured residents of the South East zone of the agency's preparedness to respond to any flood emergency in the zone.

The South East Zonal Co-ordinator, Dr Onimode Bandele, told newsmen at Enugu that the agency had been carrying out awareness campaigns in riverine and low land communities in the zone in the past three months.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had predicted that two states in the zone Anambra and Imo were likely to experience flooding in 2013 due to increased volume of water in rivers and their tributaries occasioned by ocean surges and global warming.

Bandele said that the agency had already stockpiled relief materials and other necessities to meet the challenge of the NIMET prediction. “We have done our own homework; and we have gotten ourselves ready, stockpiling relief materials and whatever, but the states should take pro-active measures too before the rains get to its peak.

“Yes, the message for both individual and corporate citizens around floodable area is that they should please listen to weather forecast, jingles or announcements that may come on radio or TV from time to time. “And take pro-active measures to evacuate from floodplains when the time comes,” he

urged.

The coordinator said that NEMA had been working in close collaboration with the various State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) and in the process had transferred a lot of expertise and best practices to them through regular interactions and workshops to build-up the capacity of the state agencies.

Bandele said that the zonal office of the agency had received a feedback from the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency on the gradual increase in the volume of water in the River Niger.

He, however, urged the state emergency management agencies to take pro-active steps towards mitigating the effects of the flooding and also invite NEMA should the situation go beyond their capacity to respond effectively.

He said: “It is not us now; it is the state; that is how these things are. Those people belong to a particular state. NEMA is supposed to come in when they are overwhelmed. “So, what we have done is to let the state identify higher grounds where camps and temporary shelters can be built if there is going to be evacuation.”

It would be recalled that NEMA provided medication, clothing, blankets, tents, cooking utensils and food for more than 100,000 families in riverine communities and low land areas of Anambra and Imo, following the 2012 flood that devastated the area.

NEMA Newsletter Vol. 5 No. 19 July 2013 / Page 7