Leadership (Abuja)
Sunday Isuwa
15 November 2008
Abuja — Over 200 youths have been trained in Yola North in Adamawa State in basic disaster management skills.
The training programme organised by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with Adamawa State government and Yola North Local government council, took place at SUBEB Conference Hall, Yola.
A statement issued by NEMA media consultant, Mr. Innocent Adikwu, stated that Air Vice Marshal Mohammed M. Audu-Bida (rtd), director-general of the Agency, told the participants that when NEMA opened its six zonal offices in the six geopolitical zones of the country in August, 2006, the intention was to take disaster management down to the community level, with the zonal offices providing the mechanism for sustainable interdependence and relationship among the three tiers of government, and among all stakeholders so as to build a culture of preparedness, prevention, response and community resilience to disasters in the country.
The director-general said communities that experienced the least damage and recovered fast from disasters were those that relied on mutual support systems and their own resources, such as the grassroots volunteers, adding that disaster management efforts should focus on communities and the people who live in them.
Tagged, "Taking Disaster Management to the Grassroots," the Yola North training programme is part of the agency's ongoing efforts to train at least 200 emergency volunteers in each of the 774 local government areas of the country.
In his goodwill message, the Adamawa State governor, Admiral Murtala H. Nyako (rtd) , who was represented by the state commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Lawan Hamidu, said having realised the risks the state was exposed to, Adamawa State was embracing the grassroots volunteer programme of NEMA in order to build the resilience capacity of the people.
He said the process of establishing the state Emergency Management Agency was almost completed as he would soon assent to the bill passed by the State Assembly, promising that the grassroots emergency volunteer programme would be extended to the other local government areas of the state.
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