Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA), Mustapha Habib Ahmed has commissioned the Real-time monitoring and communication equipment worth $300,000
The equipment which was donated by King Salman Humanitarian Aid Relief Centre (KS Relief), will upgrade the coordination and information sharing capacity of NEMA.
Ahmed who spoke during the unveiling of the audio-visual communication on disaster and humanitarian outlook in Abuja commended King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, (the KS Relief) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the myriad of humanitarian interventions and support to NEMA in the onerous task of giving care to persons affected by Boko Haram insurgency in Borno and the Yobe states as well as victims of banditry in Zamfara State, North West, Nigeria.
“You may recall that activities of Boko Haram insurgents and armed bandits in the two regions have resulted in a humanitarian crisis that requires coordinated efforts and the intervention of government, local and International humanitarian actors to give succour to persons in need.
“In this regard, the Federal Government of Nigeria through NEMA has consistently provided humanitarian relief to the people in the entire Nigerian federation. Yet there is always the need for additional support from partners; both local and international to enable the speedy recovery of the affected persons from the prolonged crises and other sudden onset disasters nationwide.
“There is no doubt that the current flood disaster that has affected the entire federation of Nigeria has tested the wits of emergency responders and has brought to fore the importance of international collaboration on emergency service delivery in the country,”he said.
Ahmed also confirmed that the partnership between NEMA and KS Relief Center dates back to 2018, with donations of relief items to Internally Displaced Persons in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara States has been coming from the center.
NEMA DG further elaborated on the contributions of KS relief center.
“In 2021, KS Relief graciously upgraded the NEMA Contact Centre which was commissioned on the 13th of August 2021 at the NEMA Headquarters, Abuja.
“Phase 2 of the project, which involves the provision of equipment for real-time monitoring and communication during emergencies has also been completed by KS Relief. With the audio-visual communication on disaster and humanitarian outlook, NEMA operatives deployed to the field can now send real-time feedback to the Agency’s Emergency Coordination Centre.
“The system will no doubt promote early response and facilitate the efficient management and deployment of life-saving human and material resources.
“I am delighted to announce that, 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 a 59.8-kilogram basket of food comprising of items.”
Ahmed asserted that 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.
“The equipment donated to NEMA will no doubt enable NEMA the effective coordination of its relief and recovery activities across the affected states as we pass through this challenging moment,” he noted.
On his part, the Leader of the KS Relief Centre, Alyousef Abdul-Mohsen explained that many projects were efficiently implemented with NEMA, around millions of people who were reached with food assistance.
Alyousef buttressed on how the relationship with NEMA was further strengthened with the approval of the capacity development project to upgrade the coordination and information-sharing capacity of NEMA to enhance emergency response.
“The provision of communications equipment will facilitate communication between NEMA and the field offices and enable NEMA to coordinate humanitarian responses to the affected population in the country.
“This aid comes as an extension of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister to affected countries and people all over the world,” he said.
