Photo: AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum and, Governor of Kwara State
…To Collaborate With NEMA, NiMet, Others
By Chidiebere Ugwu
The 36 State governors under the aegis of Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF) have commenced plans to mitigate the effects of the looming incidences of flooding across the country.
This was contained in a communiqué signed by AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum and, Governor of Kwara State, which was made available to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja by Abdulrazaq Barkindo, Spokesman for the NGF Secretariat.
According to the communiqué, the governors resolved to collaborate with relevant agencies at arriving at a comprehensive and federation response while leveraging the 2023 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), flood risk maps, and the Climate Related Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Strategy.
“We, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), at our meeting held today, received briefings on various subnational programs, interventions, and issues of national importance and resolved as follows:
“The Forum received a briefing from the Director Generals of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) on the incidence of flooding across the country and deliberated on urgent proactive measures to save lives, livelihood, critical infrastructure and safeguarding national food security.
“Members resolved to collaborate with relevant agencies at arriving at a comprehensive and federation response while leveraging the 2023 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), Annual Flood Outlook (AFO), flood risk maps, and the Climate Related Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Strategy.
“National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) briefed Governors on how to achieve shared goals of building a safer and more resilient Nigeria in the face of the growing rate of occurrence of disasters globally. NEMA called on state governors to: Set up functional State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) and community volunteers with adequate legal backing, funding and trained manpower; Support knowledge, assets and experience sharing between states, NEMA and other responsible partners; Support the signing of Mutual Aid Agreements between States as disaster hit different geographical spaces at different times; Encourage private sector participation as part of its corporate social responsibility; and foster policy alignment and community engagement for Disaster Risk Reduction” reads the statement in parts.
The NGF Chairman also noted that according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) every USD invested in risk reduction and prevention can save up to USD15 in post disaster recovery.
He said that governors requested NEMA and NiMET to develop a comprehensive partnership framework to drive their engagement with States.
The Chairman of the Forum, further disclosed that the Forum received the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ms. Amina J. Mohammed in the company of Ms. Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and UN Messenger of Peace, who chose a girl child advocacy visit to Nigeria to mark her 26th birthday.
“Malala expressed her desire to see efforts at addressing gender discrimination, gender inclusion and girl child education sustained and deepened.
“Members expressed their readiness to work with the UN and Malala Fund in advancing gender responsive and inclusive policies, including access to quality education for Girls and other affirmative action processes in the country.
“Members commiserated with the Governors of Plateau and Zamfara States over the incessant killings in some parts of their States and solicited the cooperation of all members in combating banditry across the country.
“Members also resolved to commend the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for showing leadership by extending opportunity to Governors across party lines, by asking them to nominate competent people from their fold for appointment into boards of parastatals” NGF concluded in the communiqué.
