Health
NEMA, UNICEF train seven states in emergency preparedness
The National Emergency Management Agency and the United Nations Children’s Fund have commenced a three-day training aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness, community engagement and coordinated response across seven states in the North-East and North-Central regions.
The State-Level Training on Community Engagement for Social and Behaviour Change in Humanitarian Action and Sudden-Onset Emergency Response is being attended by emergency preparedness and response actors from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba and Yobe states.
The training, which is being supported by UNICEF, focuses on the Community Engagement for Social and Behaviour Change in Humanitarian Action Toolkit, designed to strengthen participants’ capacity in preparedness, community engagement, risk communication, accountability to affected populations and coordinated response to emergencies.
Speaking during the training, Head of Operations, Gombe operations, Hajiya Ummuna Ahmed, described the exercise as timely, particularly with the country in the peak of the rainy season.
Ahmed, represented by the Assistant Chief Planning Officer, NEMA, Gombe Operations Office, Abubakar Haruna, said the training was important because flooding, windstorms and other emergencies were common during the period, stressing that effective disaster management required the participation of multiple stakeholders.
She said, “This kind of training is very paramount, especially in the season we are in. It is already August and it is well known to everyone that during this time, flooding, windstorms and other disasters do occur.
“Disaster management is not a one-man job. Every other person has to be involved for us to achieve the goal. So, this programme is timely and very important.”
The NEMA official said the agency had taken proactive measures ahead of the rainy season, following the release of the Seasonal Climate Prediction and other forecasts.
According to her, NEMA engaged traditional and religious leaders as well as other relevant stakeholders to sensitise communities on the risks associated with flooding and other disasters.
“Since before the commencement of the rainy season, when NEMA received the seasonal rainfall predictions, we called all the relevant stakeholders, traditional rulers, religious leaders and those people that are relevant.
“We organised sensitisation on the seasonal rainfall prediction. We educated people and cautioned those living along riverbanks. We also directed the state and local governments to make sure that our drainage systems are not blocked,” she said.
Ahmed added that NEMA had collaborated with relevant agencies and media organisations to disseminate early warning information and other safety messages to communities.
She, however, stressed the importance of adequate funding for disaster management, saying the ecological fund remained critical to efforts to mitigate environmental challenges and provide relief to victims.
“Without funding, there is nothing that can be achieved,” he said, urging state governments to complement NEMA’s interventions.
“NEMA is trying its best, and the state should do more as well. Things cannot be left for NEMA alone to do, especially since the states also collect their share of the ecological fund,” Ahmed added.
On UNICEF’s support, she described the partnership as valuable to strengthening humanitarian response and preparedness.
Also speaking, UNICEF Social and Behavioural Change Officer for Emergencies, Margaret Adaba Soyemi, said the training was designed to strengthen the capacity of government and emergency response actors to engage communities before, during and after emergencies.
She said the Community Engagement for Social and Behaviour Change in Humanitarian Action Toolkit would help participants improve preparedness, accountability to affected populations and the use of data to guide interventions.
“The aim of this training is just to give an orientation to our state and federal actors, mostly preparedness and response actors in the area of emergencies, to strengthen their capacity in preparedness, community engagement, accountability to affected populations and how to use data for action in communities,” Soyemi said.
She explained that although UNICEF had a particular focus on women and children, emergencies affected entire families and communities.
“Emergencies can happen anywhere and right now in Nigeria, so many locations are facing all kinds of emergencies. We are in the flood season now. We have states that are facing floods and emergencies. We have disease outbreaks like Lassa fever and cholera,” she said.
Soyemi added that humanitarian emergencies, including displacement, could have significant consequences for women and children, making preparedness and coordinated response essential.
She said one of the expected outcomes of the training was improved coordination among government agencies and humanitarian actors.
“For one, we expect stronger coordination amongst agencies. Right here, we have NEMA, NCDC, NOA, the Ministry of Human Affairs, information and so many agencies represented here, and we want a very, very coordinated way of response,” she said.
Soyemi warned against duplication of interventions, stressing that agencies should leverage their collective strengths to achieve better outcomes.
“We don’t have to repeat things. We don’t have to duplicate efforts, but we can work together as one team. This is why UNICEF is very pleased to partner with NEMA for the CHAT training,” she added.
The UNICEF official also emphasised the need to prioritise preparedness rather than waiting for emergencies before taking action.
“Most times, we tend to focus more on response. When there is a sudden emergency, we’re all trying to respond. We forget preparedness. And actually, preparedness is what saves lives,” she said.
She added, “We all know when the rainy season happens. We all know the flood-prone areas. We know the cholera season. We need to prepare. So, if we can also strengthen our collaboration in the area of preparedness, we will achieve more.”
For the National Orientation Agency, the Director of Community Outreach and Development, Adaline Patari, said the agency’s grassroots presence made it a critical partner in disaster preparedness and community engagement.
Patari said NOA had officers across communities who were responsible for communicating government policies and programmes as well as information capable of improving the lives of residents.
“You know, the National Orientation Agency is the organisation that is in the community. We have officers in the community. That is why we are here,” she said.
“Our mandate is to communicate government policies and programmes and also communicate things that will help better the lives of the poor in the communities.”
She said NOA was ready to collaborate with NEMA, SEMA and other organisations to improve disaster preparedness and response at the grassroots.
“NOA is prepared. We are ready to work with any organisation that wants to make an impact in the community,” Patari said.
She also identified behavioural change as an important component of disaster prevention, noting that some emergencies could be mitigated if residents adopted safer practices.
“Part of our mandate is trying to change people’s behaviour for better. You don’t want people to continue to do the wrong thing over and over again,” she said.
Patari urged residents to keep their surroundings clean and avoid blocking drainage channels with refuse.
“People are supposed to clean their quarters in the community. They know, but if you don’t remind them, they will keep pouring dirt in the community. Therefore, we try to change people’s behaviour so that they can behave better and improve their community,” she said.
She further urged residents to report dangerous situations in their communities to the appropriate authorities.
“People should try and, if they notice anything in the community, they should report to the appropriate authority. People should also try not to drop things in the gutter or on the waterways, so that when water comes, it will just pass without entering their houses,” Patari added.
The UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Rownak Khan, said the agency was working towards strengthening government-led coordination of humanitarian interventions.
Khan said effective emergency response required the involvement of multiple sectors, rather than the efforts of a single ministry or agency.
“You know, this country is also going through a humanitarian transition, where we are trying, as a whole UN, not UNICEF only, to put the government in charge,” Khan said.
“Therefore, we really want government to take the responsibility of bringing all the sectors together.”
Using flooding as an example, Khan said displaced persons would require interventions covering shelter, food, education, water, sanitation and other essential services.
“If there are floods, people are displaced, so we need housing. We need to bring government partners for that. We need food, we need education, we need sanitation and water supply,” she said.
Khan stressed that relying on one ministry or department would result in limited support for affected communities.
“If only we go with one department or one ministry, we will be only supporting these affected people with very limited interventions,” she said.
She called for stronger leadership and coordination by state governments, particularly governors and commissioners, during humanitarian emergencies.
“At the state level, we would like to see the leadership of the administration as well, the governors and the commissioners. We will also work with the commissioners and the governor to make sure that there is multi-sectoral collaboration for any humanitarian response,” Khan added.
The training is expected to strengthen the ability of participating states to anticipate emergencies, engage communities effectively, communicate risks, use data to guide interventions and ensure accountability to people affected by disasters.
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