Staff training, stakeholders’ collaboration, key to improved emergency response – NEMA

By Ruth Oketunde

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said that frequent training of its personnel and stakeholders’ collaboration, very key to improving emergency response in the country.

Dr Onimode Bandele, Director of Special Duties, NEMA, made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

He said that the agency under the leadership of Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq and the Director-General of the agency, Mr Mustapha Ahmed, had prioritised staff trainings to meet up with global best practices, as a plus to the nation.

“NEMA has trained personnel who simulate most of the disasters, which have a cycle, starting from the preparedness stage, response stage and mitigation stage.

“So while we are remedying one situation, we are learning a new lesson from it and therefore, we are always prepared.

“We have more equipment to work with, but training should be more frequent as well as better welfarism in order to make the staff happy and motivated to work.

On the agency’s commitment to quick response to emergency calls, he said that responses depend on the location, “but all the same we do ensure that we get to the scene of an emergency as quickly as possible.”

“Generally, the rule of thumb says that for any emergency or disaster if you do not get to the scene in less than 12 hours, then you are not saving lives.

“We try as much as possible to get to the scenes of disasters as quickly as possible,” Bandele said.

The director added that the agency which is a coordinating agency also relies on emergency stakeholders’ collaboration to achieve its mandate.

“We work with State Emergency Management Agencies, FRSC, Fire Service, NSCDC, Police, Red Cross, among others to get maximum results.

“By continuous trainings, simulations, drills with stakeholders, we can know who will do what and when to do it for the desired result,” he said.

(NAN)