US To Assist Nigeria On Disaster Management

By Dipo Olowookere

Minister of Interior, Mr Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, has said that Nigeria will accept assistance from the US in the area of disaster management.

Mr Dambazau, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Staff Welfare and Training in the Ministry, Mrs Modupe Omisore, spoke in Abuja at the beginning of a three-day seminar on Disaster Response and Emergency Management, organized by the US Embassy in conjunction with the Ministry of Interior.

While commending the US government for always providing support for Nigeria, and for organizing the seminar, the Minister said that the seminar was informed by the fact that there were gaps in Nigeria’s capability in disaster management.

Speaking, the US Bilateral Affairs Officer, US Embassy in Abuja, Major Chidi Adighije, said the seminar would bring to light any gap in the disaster management techniques of Nigeria and ultimately help in fashioning out what could work for Nigeria.

Major Adighije said that the Seminar would highlight the process of disaster management in the US and assist Nigeria to fashion out the process that would suit its peculiar situation, noting that the US has a disaster management system similar to what Nigeria has, especially in the area of multi-agency involvement, but added that their implementation strategies might be different.

He stressed the need to have synergy between the military and civilian authorities, as the military advises and lends support to the civilian authorities in the event of disaster.

Speaking on behalf of Ministry of Defence, Commodore Ahmed Saleh, acknowledged that disaster is an ever-present problem, but added that the efficient management of it would mitigate its consequences.

The seminar had two resource persons from the US, Major Rix Adam and Lieutenant-Colonel Mifsud Richard, and was attended by officials of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defence and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).