Disaster: FG activates national emergency operation centre

The Federal Government has activated National Emergency Operation Centre to coordinate responses and provide timely support to victims of floods and public health concerns.
The Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs Zubaida Umar disclosed this at a National Emergency Coordination Forum held on Tuesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the forum brought together stakeholders to review the current flood situation and strengthen mitigation and response strategies across Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, Zubaida said the centre would share information, provide timely support to affected areas, collate and analyse flood incident data.
She added that the centre would ensure that emergency responses were as accurate as possible.
The NEMA boss expressed the hope that the step, together with those of other stakeholders will reduce to the barest minimum, the impact of flooding.
She highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts to address the predicted 2024 flood disaster by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NISA).
According to her, 20 states and 52 local government areas had already been affected by flooding
She emphasised the need for public awareness and proper waste management to mitigate the impact of floods
Umar said the workshop would awaken NEMA to take more proactive measures to safe the lives of the citizens and adequately respond in areas that had been affected.
On his part, Mr Trond Jensen, Head of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) in Nigeria, commended NEMA for its leadership in disaster preparedness and response.(NAN)