NEMA advocates formulation of policies to forestall disasters

From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advocated for policy makers at the grassroots to formulate policies and initiate strategic plans to reduce disaster risks within their jurisdictions.
This was contained in a statement signed by Mrs Lydia Wagami, Head, NEMA Minna Operations Office, to mark the 2020 International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) yesterday in Minna.
The 2020 IDDR focus was to substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies that seeks to create disaster resilient communities across the country.
Wagami explained that this year’s theme was an offshoot of the seven global targets of the Sendai framework for IDDR instituted in 2016.
She added that the theme was to educate people that disasters can be avoided if disaster risk reduction strategies were in place to manage and reduce existing levels of risk and avoid creation of new ones.
She admonished the state governments of Niger and Kwara to champion the course in their various states in order to forestall the occurrence of preventable disasters.
According to her, this will help save lives and public resources as well as reduce wastages that can results from destruction of government/public infrastructure.
Wagami, however, noted that the Federal government through the agency demonstrated concern for the plight of people affected by various disasters through series of interventions in Niger and Kwara.
She said the intervention was through the provisions of humanitarian relief support to victims of disasters to serve as succor to them and urged people to desist from activities that would endanger their lives.