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ABUJA–MINISTER of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Farouq, has pledged her ministry’s readiness to collaborate with all stakeholders in the field to take care of the different types of disasters constantly ravaging the country. A statement by the ministry’s Assistant Director, Information, Mrs Rhoda Iliya,Sunday,said Mrs Farouq stated this at the opening ceremony of a two-day stakeholder’s engagement on disaster management tagged ‘’Strengthening Nigeria’s Capacity for Effective Disaster Management’’, held in Abuja. According to her, “Nigeria is a victim of some of the disasters both natural and man–made.”
“They are ravaging our communities, destroying and depleting natural and man-made resources. Lives are being lost in large numbers and the ecosystem is being badly affected,” she regretted. Farouq noted that,“Disasters and their potential for large scale devastation, have to be managed as a matter of urgency by government agencies established with such mandates.” ” Achieving success in this area of emergency management, depends largely on the collaborative efforts put together by government agencies and development partners (international and local) that have the expertise in the field”,she said. Explaining further, the minister noted “that achieving success in the management of disasters in the country requires proper planning and multi-sectorial, multi-disciplinary and inter-ministerial approach.” “We cannot afford to operate in silos as this undermines our collective effort for effectiveness and efficiency”, she said. She explained that the ministry “was created to coordinate all the stakeholders in disaster management in Nigeria”, saying the contributions to the delivery of services in the field of natural and man-made disasters in Nigeria is invaluable. According to her, the various contributions of all stakeholders have been complimenting the efforts of government in the management of disasters across the country. The statement read further: “She enjoined all the stakeholders at the event to contribute positively to the deliberations of the meeting and key into the various areas of focus in disaster management (prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response recovery and rehabilitation) for effective and efficient service delivery in the area of disaster management. “In a goodwill message, the Representative of the United Nation’s Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator, Edward Kallon, said the creation of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development marked an important milestone in Nigeria. “He said Nigeria is prone to multiple hazards and floods, which require co-ordinated approach and integrated response. “Nigeria has shown strong capacity to respond to emergencies in the recent past. We need to work more closely to help the Ministry deliver on its core mandate” he added. “The Director, Disaster Management of the Ministry, Dr. Dorothy Nwodo in her paper presentation stated that the department of disaster management is to provide governance and oversight for all disaster management activities in the country. “She said the department has a five- fold responsibility over Nigeria’s disaster management activities which include Coordination, supervision Monitoring, Regulation and Strengthening. To fulfil its responsibilities, the department will deploy a 3-Step process of diagnose, design and deliver. ‘Speaking further, she said the department will conduct a review of laws, policies and implementation frameworks to understand the country’s guidelines for disaster management.”
Source: TheGuardian
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