By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it will collaborate with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on improve emergency preparedness and promote timely response to emergency situations in the nation’s capital.
The FCT Minister , Malam Muhammad Musa Bello made this disclosure in Abuja when the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Habib Ahmed, paid him a courtesy visit.
Bello also disclosed that in line with this the FCT Administration is working very hard to improve enforcement of the city’s planning regulations, especially in areas that are prone to flooding and other natural disasters to reduce disaster risks in the FCT.
The minister who emphasized the importance of an effective collaboration between the two government agencies also thanked the NEMA DG for the support that the Agency has provided during flooding incidents and occasional disasters in the FCT, including its capacity building and palliative support which he said have also been very helpful .
The Minister who reiterated commitment of the FCT Administration to support NEMA in tackling emergency situations, also promised that FCTA will work to ensure the successful hosting of the Agency’s forthcoming National Conference on Disaster Management scheduled to take place in the FCT.
Malam Bello also assured that the FCTA will provide suitable locations in the city centre for the construction of an alternative Emergency Response and Ambulance Bay (ERAB) to replace the one destroyed during some unrests in the past.
The Director-General, NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, in his response said the Agency, over the years, has nursed the vision of working with the FCT Administration to build a robust mutual support and collaboration in confronting the daunting task of disaster risk management in the FCT and across the nation.
Ahmed noted that with Abuja’s position as the nation’s capital city and centre of innovation and also a city that accommodates Nigerians across the states , is the most suitable place to develop the culture of disaster risk reduction and communal resilience that will gradually permeate to other parts of the country.
The NEMA DG called for closer cooperation with the FCTA through the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to safeguard the city’s ever-growing population as well as the nation’s most valuable assets that are situated in the territory including foreign missions and various corporate headquarters.
He further assured that the NEMA will continue to engage the FEMA and other stakeholders in the FCT on capacity building of their personnel at both tactical and operational levels, adding
that the agency has established an operational office to cater for the FCT and Kogi State.
He also disclosed that the Agency has commenced the process of renovating and reactivating its Emergency Response Bays located in strategic sites of Abuja equipped with MICUs and trained paramedics for timely disaster response.
