By Ibrahim Kado Service #TrackNigeria: The Nigeria Red Cross Society (NRCS), Gombe State branch, has expressed its readiness to provide humanitarian services when the need arises during and after the Presidential and National Assembly elections. The society said this in a statement signed by Head of Department (HOD), Disaster Management, Abuja, Mr Abubakar Yakubu, on Friday in Gombe. He stated that the society was established by an act of parliament in 1990 to compliment public authority in humanitarian intervention. “The Act stated that, the society shall be recognised by the government of the federation as the voluntary aid society, auxiliary to the public authorities, for the purposes of the said conventions and shall have the right to have and use in carrying out its purpose. “The society is hereby authorised, with or without the cooperation of any other society, organisation or association which may have been accorded similar power by an act of the National Assembly, to act in matters of relief under the said convention. “The NRCS has maintained the status of first responder as mandated by the National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP) in both natural hazards induced disaster and human-made including but not limited to election violence.’’ According to the statement, in view of the above, NRCS will continue to carry out its mandate including emergency response during election when the need arises. He further stated that the recent ban of voluntary organisations, including the society, by the police in Gombe State was an error and called for a reversal. (NAN)
