APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The Director General National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mustapha Habib Ahmed today visited the Chief of Air Staff at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Headquarters Abuja in a move to strengthen existing partnership between the Agency and Air Force in the areas of disaster management, including 2023 flood.
The DG of NEMA, who led a team of some Directors of the Agency, was received at the NAF headquarters by the Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar along with some his management team.
In his remark, the DG of NEMA stated that it has become necessary to strengthen the existing relationship between NEMA and NAF, especially in view of increasing occurrence of disasters including the forecast of flood that may affect some parts of the country this year.
“With the current growing rate of occurrence and increasing level of severity of disasters in Nigeria and across the world, it has become necessary for NEMA to strengthen its partnership with the Nigerian Air Force to save lives in times of emergency and to promote Disaster Risk Reduction,” he said.
He reviewed the present situation of the rain season and noted that it has started to confirm the predicted flood, which has started to wreak havoc in some states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Therefore, he said that “the time has come when NEMA will require the support of the Nigerian Air Force in the areas of search and rescue and transportation of personnel, equipment and other life-saving relief items.”
Reaffirming confidence in the existing partnership between the two organizations, the Director General of NEMA said: “NEMA and the Nigerian Air Force have conducted series of real life simulation exercises to test the level of preparedness of emergency responders and develop common language of communication to foster a better understanding of life saving roles and responsibilities of frontline actors in times of emergency.”
The report distributed by the APO Group on behalf NEMA restated that NEMA will always count on the support of the Nigerian Air Force as a critical partner especially in the areas of search and rescue operation, medical evacuation and the air drop of relief materials to inaccessible locations during sudden onset disasters and emergencies.
Responding, the Chief of Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar assured that the Nigerian Air Force will continue to discharge its responsibilities in the areas of providing supports to civil authorities whenever is required.
He recalled the participation of NEMA and the Nigerian Air Force in some of past joint simulation training exercises on emergency response and announced that NAF will avail its 22 Disaster Response Units located across the country for deployment to support disaster management activities of NEMA in furtherance to the existing collaboration between the two organizations.
He therefore, assured the sustenance and further strengthening of the existing partnership between the Nigerian Air Force and NEMA.
The report added that the Director General of NEMA was joined on the visit to the NAF headquarters by the Director Relief and Rehabilitation Alhassan Nuhu, Director Disaster Risk Reduction Daniel Obot, Special Assistant to the DG Idris Abubakar Mohammed and Deputy Director Operations Bashir Idris Garga.
GIK/APA