Following complaints that most flood disasters are directly linked to poor environmental management and neglects, President Muhammadu Buhari , Tuesday, charged states and local governments across the country to live up to their responsibilities in tackling the current menace of flooding ravaging various parts of the country.
The President stated this in a statement signed by Presidential Spokesman, Garba Shehu, where he commiserated with victims of such natural disasters especially floods which have ravaged some states of the Federation recently.
President Buhari expressed concern that there is an overwhelming recourse to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to the aid of the distressed whenever disasters occur, which should normally not be the case.
He therefore, reminded other stakeholders of their roles as spelt out in the policy document on disaster management in the country, specifically calling on local and state governments to live up to their responsibilities by coming to the assistance of victims that fall within their purview.
National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, had recently blamed state and council leaders over similar over dependence on it to provide succor for disaster victims
BusinessDay checks show that the federal government agency has about 800 employees, distributed amongst its six zonal offices , in Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Kaduna, Jos, Enugu and Lagos, from where it coordinates emergency activities nationwide, often with some assistance from fire fighters, the Army, the Air Force and Julius Berger, among others.
The President, while insisting that the sub national bodies must play their roles effectively, however, assured Nigerians of his steadfast commitment to issues bordering on their welfare, promising that his administration is determined to inculcate better coordination of the plight of the citizenry through the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
He also noted that phenomenon of natural disasters are not peculiar to Nigeria, as is evident in the wave of similar occurrences in various parts of the world.
He stated that these are attributable in part to climate change, but said “ these are attracting his attention and those of other world leaders, as evidenced by series of meetings and conferences on the phenomenon, the latest of which happened on the margins of the recent United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.”
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
