By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo on Monday assured the people of effective disaster management and protection against the impact of natural disasters in Nigeria.
Governor Ododo made this statement while receiving the report of the Technical Working Group of the Ad-hoc Committee on Flood and Other Nature-Induced Disasters (Mitigation, Adaptation, Preparedness, and Response) of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Kogi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, over the weekend.
In a press release signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Ismailia Isah, it was stated that the report of the Technical Working Group will enhance the federal government’s commitment to addressing challenges in the management of natural disasters in the country.
According to the Governor, the report is the culmination of several weeks of dedicated work by the Technical Working Group. He noted that “it is expected to serve as a foundation for the development of a national roadmap for the proactive management of nature-induced disasters in Nigeria.”
Governor Ododo expressed the nation’s gratitude to the Technical Working Group, led by the Honourable Minister of State for Water Resources, Alhaji Bello Mohammed Goronyo, for their hard work and diligence on this national assignment.
Describing the report as timely in view of the rainy season, the Kogi State Governor emphasized the importance of the report and its far-reaching recommendations aimed at finding lasting solutions to the cyclic challenges posed to the safety and well-being of communities across the nation by adverse climatic events.
Governor Ododo entrusted the report to the Committee’s Secretariat, which will be responsible for finalizing a comprehensive national roadmap based on the TWG’s findings. This roadmap will be presented to Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Economic Council for further action and implementation.
The Ad-hoc Committee on Flood and Other Nature-Induced Disasters (Mitigation, Adaptation, Preparedness, and Response) of the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, convened over the weekend to receive the final report from its Technical Working Group.
The official handover of the comprehensive report, detailing findings and recommendations for better mitigation, adaptation, preparedness, and response (MAPR) to the impact of floods, erosion, drought, and desertification across Nigeria, signals the completion of the Technical Working Group’s assignment.
The meeting was attended by the Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, experts from the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Environment and Sanitation, and the Kogi State Director-General of Research and Development, Hon. Moses Okezie.
Also in attendance were representatives of various federal agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), among others, and other members of both the TWG and the NEC Ad-hoc Committee.
