By Chimezie Godfrey
The Minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, says her Ministry is ready to collaborate with all stakeholders in tackling all types of disasters ravaging the country.
The Minister stated this at the opening ceremony of the two-day stakeholders engagement on disaster management with the theme,‘’Strengthening Nigeria’s Capacity for Effective Disaster Management,” held on Tuesday in Abuja.
“Nigeria is a victim of some of the disasters both natural and man–made and they are ravaging our communities, destroying and depleting natural and man-made resources. Lives are being lost in large numbers and the ecosystem is being badly affected.
“Disasters and their potential for large scale devastation, have to be managed as a matter of urgency by t Agencies established with such mandates. Achieving success in this area of emergency management, depends largely on the collaborative efforts put together by Government Agencies and Development Partners (International and Local) that have the expertise in the field, “She said.
Farouq noted that achieving success in the management of disasters in the country requires proper planning and multi-sectorial, multi-disciplinary and inter-ministerial approach.
“Hence, we cannot afford to operate in silos as this undermines our collective effort for effectiveness and efficiency,” She explained.
She stressed that the Ministry was created to coordinate all the stakeholders in disaster management in Nigeria and the contributions to the delivery of services in the field of natural and man-made disasters in Nigeria is invaluable.
She added that the various contributions of all stakeholders have been complimenting the efforts of Government in the management of disasters across the country.
The Minister enjoined all the stakeholders at the event to contribute positively to the deliberations of the meeting and key into the various areas of focus in disaster management (prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response recovery and rehabilitation) for effective and efficient service delivery in the area of disaster management.
In a goodwill message, the Representative of the United Nation’s Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator, Edward Kallon, said the creation of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development marked an important milestone in Nigeria.
Kallon noted that Nigeria is prone to multiple hazards and floods, which require co-ordinated approach and integrated response.
“Nigeria has shown strong capacity to respond to emergencies in the recent past. We need to work more closely to help the Ministry deliver on its core mandate,” he added.
The Director, Disaster Management of the Ministry, Dr. Dorothy Nwodo in her paper presentation stated that the department of disaster management is to provide governance and oversight for all disaster management activities in the country.
Nwodo pointed out that the department has a five- fold responsibility over Nigeria’s disaster management activities which include Coordination, supervision Monitoring, Regulation and Strengthening.
She added that to fulfil its responsibilities, the department will deploy a 3-Step process of diagnose, design and deliver.
She further said that the department will conduct a review of laws, policies and implementation frameworks to understand the country’s guidelines for disaster management.
