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NEMA partners IDB to train volunteers on flood risk management

By John Akubo, Lokoja
24 November 2016   |   2:23 am
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has commenced three days training for volunteers on flood Risk Management ...
Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Sani Sidi

Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Sani Sidi

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has commenced three days training for volunteers on flood Risk Management for North central states.

The Director General of the NAMA, Sani Sidi who spoke through the Deputy director Disaster Risk Reduction Benjamin Ogena, said after the 2012 flooding many of the international partners offered to help Nigeria.

He said one of the partners, the Islamic Development Bank offered $250, 000 to do training across board on various issues particularly with regard to flooding.

He said: “These trainings were of different types and this is one of them. There was training on water rescue, there was training on camp management, now we are doing training on volunteers for community response.

“That is why we are here trying to work according to their directives on what they want, how they want their money to be spent based on our reports on what happened to us so we are grateful to them.”

Sidi indicated that the group of about 30 for the training was selected from the North Central zone, from each of the States of Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger and others.

“We have been trying to make people realize that their response and their life matters hence they should do everything possible to acquire skills that will help them in times of disaster and this is one of the things we are doing.

“We are going into the communities so that people will know what they are doing. There are various strata when it comes to disaster management; at the State level, local Government level.

“Let people know what to do before calling people in Abuja to come. That is one of the issue and this is one of the ways we are trying to ensure that everybody has an idea,” he added.

He explained that they must not be experts but it necessary for them to have the skills to know what to do first before the attention of experts are drawn.

Executive secretary Kogi State management Agency Mr. Alhassan Ayegba said it was a good programme where people would be trained in the area of management of disasters among which are floods, accidents.

He stressed: “So we appreciate God today that national emergency management agency has thought it wise to give us opportunity for all the Local Government to attend a training like this so that they can be fully prepared for management of floods.”

Ayegba said the statistics of N2.6 trillions of materials and properties lost during the 2012 flood disaster and over 2000 lives lost across the country was enough disaster to mitigate against future occurrence.

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