By Miriam Humbe
The National Emergency Management Agency, (NEMA), has said it will ensure that the FCT Emergency Management Department, (FEMD) has the legal backing to operate as an Agency.
Nkechi Isa, Head of Public Affairs
at FEMD disclosed this in a statement signed on on Tuesday.
The Head, Abuja Operations Office of NEMA, Mr Zakari Abubakar gave the assurance when he paid visited FEMD.
Abubakar said: “By the Act creating NEMA, it is our prerogative to ensure that the State Emergency Management Agency,(SEMA), is created, institutionalized and operational in every state in the country”.
He requested for the copy of the draft bill seeking to upgrade FEMD to an agency, with a view to resolving grey areas.
Describing FEMD as a critical stakeholder, Abubakar promised to strengthen the existing collaboration in areas of intervention on vulnerable people and training with a view to taking disaster management to the next level in the FCT.
The Ag Director General of FEMD Engr Abdulrahman Mohammed underscored the importance of a SEMA in the FCT.
Abdulrahman said that the FCT witnessed the daily influx of Nigerians, particularly the vulnerable.
He said: “FCT has a lot of vulnerable people, because when they face crises they run to the FCT. But people don’t see this,they only see the city center”.
The Acting DG appealed to NEMA for support in the areas of equipment, training, provision of vocational tools and empowerment items for vulnerable groups.
