Nigerian govt activates national emergency operation centre

The federal government has activated the National Emergency Operation Centre to coordinate responses and provide timely support to flood victims and people with public health concerns.

The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, disclosed this at a National Emergency Coordination Forum held on Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the forum brought together stakeholders to review the current flood situation and strengthen mitigation and response strategies across Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, Ms Zubaida said the centre would share information, provide timely support to affected areas, and collate and analyse flood incident data.

She added that the centre would ensure that emergency responses were as accurate as possible.

The NEMA boss expressed the hope that this step, together with those of other stakeholders, will reduce the impact of flooding to the barest minimum.

She highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts to address the predicted 2024 flood disaster by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NISA).

According to her, 52 local government areas in 20 states have already been affected by flooding.

She emphasised the need for public awareness and proper waste management to mitigate the impact of floods

Ms Umar said the workshop would awaken NEMA to take more proactive measures to save citizens’ lives and adequately respond in affected areas.

On his part, Trond Jensen, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) in Nigeria, commended NEMA for its leadership in disaster preparedness and response.

He emphasised the importance of efficient resource use and anticipatory action to address cholera outbreaks and urged collaboration among all stakeholders to enhance emergency response capabilities.

“Rather than waiting for an outbreak of cholera, what can we do in terms of preparedness, so that we can make sure that the systems that are needed to respond are fully resourced?

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“This is one of the things that we are looking at as UN-OCHA, together with our colleagues from UNICEF, the World Health Organisation and other partners,” he said.

Mr Jensen assured the support of his organisation and other partners to safeguard the lives of Nigerians and ensure a resilient community

(NAN)