The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says the Federal Government has concluded arrangements to purchase more helicopters for the agency.
Alhaji Mohammed Sidi, NEMA’s Director-General, made this known during an interactive session with journalists in Minna on Monday.
Sidi was represented by the agency’s Assistant Zonal Director, North-Central, Malam Salihu Bijimi.
He also declared open a one-day workshop on the “Role of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community-based Organisations (CBOs) and Private Sector in Disaster Management’’.
The director-general said the purchase become necessary to ensure that relief materials, including medical needs gets to victims of disasters in any part of the country.
“Plans are underway by the Federal Government to procure more Helicopters to add to the ones already in our fleet to enhance disaster management which is assuming a more complicated dimension.
“With more aircrafts added to our fleet, emergency teams on rescue operations could easily get to remotest areas that were hitherto unable to assess by road in good time to reduce the impact of disasters,’’ he said.
Sidi said that more personnel were presently undergoing intensive training with the view to deploying them to disaster prone areas after the completion of their training.
“I see an improvement in subsequent response to disasters in the country.
“When disasters occurs it affects all members of a family who are members of a community and of which the community is within a local government area.
“If disaster management is seen from this angle all would be fully involved because it is in one way or the other felt by all.’’
Sidi urged Nigerians to be conscious to check avoidable disasters.
“It is in view of key three issues such as; magnitude, inadequate funds and as well, distance that calls for the need to have the NGOs, CBOs and the private sectors playing key roles in preserving lives and properties …”
He said in time of disasters, it would not be enough just for NEMA to get all the equipment to contend to the area.
He said other Federal Government agencies should work hand in hand with the stake holders.
He said that if those stakeholders were well equipped, knowledgeably, then the job of disaster management would be made easier in the overall interests of the society.
Sidi said that the agency would be better positioned in future as it had learnt a lot of lessons from the recent flood disasters and other disasters across the country.
“We will now go to the drawing board with other stake holders, to see how we can improve on what happened in 2012.’’