Moved by the need to develop an enduring humanitarian response framework to combat disaster-related situations in Nigeria, Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF), a non-government organisation (NGO) in conjunction with Ford Foundation, has concluded plans to organise a one-day workshop of key stakeholders on disaster management.
The workshop, slated to hold in Abuja, on December 2, 2014, will see participants brainstorming on appropriate ways to coordinate emergencies and relief efforts in the country, most especially in the face of unabated insurgency in the North and attack on civilian targets nationwide.
Aisha Oyebode, CEO, Murtala Muhammed Foundation, who announced this, said the workshop will at the end, adopt an implementable and sustainable coordination mechanism for disaster management in the country.
In her words: “The challenge of sustainable humanitarian response in Nigeria today has necessitated the need for a collective and holistic approach from concerned citizens and organizations to develop a Sustainable Humanitarian Response Mechanism for Nigeria.”
She enjoined relevant responders, federal, state and local government officials, universities, research institutes, hospitals, corporate organisations, donor agencies, international partner agencies, concerned citizens and non-governmental organisations to attend the workshop as they have a stake in the development of a robust and effective framework. They are encouraged to register by contacting the foundation at [email protected].
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Oyebode said that for many years under its Disaster Risk Reduction Program, the Foundation has provided humanitarian support to victims of unrest adding that it was in continuation of these efforts, that the Foundation is organizing, in partnership with the Ford Foundation, the workshop to ensure the right humanitarian response is established for all categories of disasters in Nigeria.
She also mentioned that globally, coordinating emergencies and relief entails minimising the duplication of humanitarian services towards the preparation, mitigation and minimisation of the effects of any form of disaster whether by filling gaps or preventing overlaps.
This position, she said ensures that the various organisations and concerned citizens are harmonized to work together to achieve a common objective which will enable a more coherent, effective and efficient response to disasters, whether man-made or natural.
