Lokoja — The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has expressed its readiness to support the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency (KOSEMA) in disaster preparedness and response during disaster situation.

The NEMA Zonal Coordinator of North Central, Abuja office, Ishaya Chonoko, represented by Britus Samuel, stated this yesterday in Anyigba during a two day sensitization meeting organized by UNICEF Zone (C) kaduna office for local governments and stakeholders to equip them on emergency preparedness and response.

According to him, disaster management in the world over is focus on preparedness and response in order not to be cut unaware, saying that if disaster management are localize, it would be effectively manage at the rural area when disaster happened before NEMA at the centre would come in to help.

He added that though disaster cannot be prevented from happening but with adequate preparedness and response, casualties could be minimize when it happened.

Also speaking, UNICEF representative, Raymond Akor, said the meeting was organized to sensitize and discus the lapses notice during the recent flood in the state and to enable them put up plans in order to manage disaster effectively.

He said women and children suffered most in any disaster hence they always support meeting with stakeholder aimed at successfully manage disaster effectively to minimize casualties.

According to him, at the end of the deliberation, lesson learn from it would enable stakeholders in disaster management to know the kind of response and contingent plans for effective management.

He called for better funding of agencies saddled with the responsibility of managing disaster in the state for utmost performance.

Also, the Acting Executive Secretary, Kogi State Emergency management Agency, Mrs Alice Ogedegbe, commended the UNICEF for the programme, assuring that the resolution and the recommendation reach would be carried out for the benefit of the people.

She stressed that if the sensitization was carried out before the recent flood, the state and the people would not have suffered untold hardship, saying that KOSEMA would be well equipped at the end of the programme.