Abdulkadir Badsha Mukhtar
9 October 2008
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), yesterday inaugurated the Media Information Committee for the management of information dissemination on disaster in the country.
The committee which was inaugurated by the Director General of NEMA, AVM M M Audu-Bida, (rtd), was according to him, set up to act as "the spokesperson for the response agencies to manage information during emergencies."
The committee's terms of reference, according to the Director, included among other things, the establishment of media information centres in all emergency and disaster scenes, handling all media issues, which includes control of press crew, information management and information dissemination at the scene of incident.
Other terms also included preparation of press releases for relevant higher authorities, identify time, venue and prepare press conference for the relevant higher authorities or a delegated spokesperson in accordance with the needs of the incidence.
Bida added that disaster information dissemination is different from day to day media interactions, saying, "we have had cases where information were mismanaged and as a result, some of our agencies were given bad names or looked down at."
He therefore, called on other agencies to work together in any information dissemination.
In his words, "we should be able to bring out something that we can abide by so that every agency will be ready to be part of."
He further emphasised that, "I don't want a situation where by we have an accident of flood or fire and then every agency wants to give its own part of the story."
The committee members included the Public Relation Officers representing the Federal Ministry of Information, Federal Road Safety, Fire Service, Red Cross, Police, and NEMA.
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