Economic Confidential, October 25 2008

NEWS UPDATE

NEMA needs N6.7bn for equipment

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) needs about 6.7 billion Naira to procure equipment for disaster management and prevention in the country, Director General of the Agency, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Audu-Bida (rtd) has said.

Similarly, the Agency is building a 154,800 strong volunteer squad to boost grassroots response to disaster management nationwide, with each of the 774 local government councils expected to produce 200 volunteers.

Air Vice Marshal Audu-Bida said 2.3 billion Naira of the total sum may soon be released by the federal government to assist NEMA procure necessary equipment, including helicopters to boost its response mechanisms at managing disasters.

He said adequate funding for the sector was imperative because disasters of any kind were capable of distorting budget planning or even wiping out the gains of planning for socio-economic development and growth of the country.

Speaking when he hosted members of the Finance Correspondents Association of Nigeria (FICAN), Abuja Vice Marshal Audu-Bida said holistic look at disasters must be adopted in order to effectively address existing and emerging challenges in the sector.

The NEMA boss said the Agency was in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Local Government council Chairmen to institutionalize volunteerism on disaster management in order to enhance its search and rescue efforts.

According to him, the Grassroots Disaster Management Corps (GDMC) established by the Agency would be strengthened through training and continuously training of local volunteers for proficiency in monitoring early warning signals and identifying trends which would facilitate rapid emergency response and coordination by NEMA and other relevant agencies.

On fears over the Niger Bridge in Onitsha, Vice Marshal Audu-Bida said NEMA has already written to the Federal Ministries of Works and Housing as well as Transportation, and the Anambra State Government on the need to consult experts for on-the-spot assessment of the situation, adding that the Agency has set November 10, 2008 for an inspection visit to the bridge.

For the crashed Wings Aviation aircraft, he said NEMA was still awaiting the result of the analysis on the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Recorder (CPR) also known as the “black box”.

“We have sent the black box for analysis and the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) is working on it since there is no equipment here to do it. Until the report is out, nothing can be said. But the human remains are with the medical people,” he said.

In his speech, the FICAN Chairman, Mr Cobham Nsa said Nigeria’s response rate to disaster management will be healthier with sustained efforts at strengthening partnership with the State Emergency Management Committees, building capacity for the Disaster Response Units (DRUs), Nigerian Mission Control Centre (Cospas-Sarsat), Emergency Response Teams (ERTS), Early Warning Units (EWU) and Search and Rescue Helicopters.

He also called for effective networking with the media and CBOs as volunteers in disaster prevention and management as a positive input to NEMA’s relief strategy. “We must constantly build and strengthen local capacity on disaster prevention and management. Co-opting members of professional organizations, the media, CSOs and CBOs into local Disaster Prevention and Management Committees will indeed promote the spirit of volunteerism among Nigerians”, Mr Nsa said.