Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday launched a real-time communication and monitoring equipment worth $300,000 to monitor and report disasters whenever they occur in the country.
The equipment, the agency stated was expected to help field officers send feedback to its emergency coordination centres for quick response and deployment of needed assistance during emergencies.
The equipment was donated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, Saudi Arabia.
The Director General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed during the launch of the equipment in Abuja, said the equipment would support the operation of the agency.
Ahmed explained that with the audio-visual communication on disaster and humanitarian outlook, NEMA operatives deployed to the field would be able to send real-time feedback to the Agency’s Emergency Coordination Centre.
The system, he said would no doubt promote early response and facilitate the efficient management and deployment of life saving human and material resources.
Ahmed further said: “The real-time monitoring and communication equipment and proposed relief assistance are timely and cannot come at a better time than now when our country is bearing the brunt of widespread flood disaster with 603 lives lost, 1,302,589 people displaced and critical assets including roads and farmlands washed away as a result of the intensive deluge.”
According to him, the equipment donated to NEMA would no doubt enable NEMA carry out effective coordination of its relief and recovery activities across the affected states.
Speaking on the food support, by the centre, Ahmed said: “The KS Relief has proposed to donate 16,000 food baskets of relief materials to Borno State for another two cycles of intervention to be distributed directly in IDP camps in the state in collaboration with SEMA and other partners.
“Each household is expected to have 59.8 kilograms basket of food comprising of items.”
Similarly, the Team leader from KS-Relief, Alyousef Abdul-Mohsen said the equipment donated would enable the agency reach affected persons promptly during any disaster.
“The provision of communications equipment will facilitate the communication between NEMA and the field offices and enable NEMA to coordinate humanitarian responses to affected population in the country,” he added.
On the food support, Abdul-Mohsen stressed that many projects were efficiently implemented with NEMA in the past and millions of people were reached with food assistance carefully designed to take the local consumption habit into consideration.
“KS Relief approved the third food assistance project to support internally displaced people in Nigeria in collaboration with NEMA and we are gathered to inaugurate the project.
“This aid comes as an extension of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by the government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Speaking on the cooperation between both countries, the Director, Relief and Rehabilitation of the agency, Alhassan Nuhu said the partnership has attracted over $11 million support in the last four years.
Nuhu said: “This is not the first time KS Relief will be extending their hands of support to Nigeria. NEMA’s relationship with KS Relief started in 2018 when it donated food items worth $10 million to 140,486 Households in Borno and Yobe State.
“Also in 2021, 16,668 food baskets worth $1.147,310 were donated to support internally displaced persons in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara States as a result of insurgency and banditry.
