FEMA To Reduce Disaster Risk In FCT, Begins Sensitization Campaign
By: Prudence Okonna
In commemoration of the 2023 International Day For Disaster Risk Reduction, the Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has concluded plans to reduce disasters among residents of FCT across the six Area Councils.
This is to equip residents of the Nation’s Capital with the requisite knowledge in ensuring risk reduction, through a weeklong sensitization campaign across the six Area Councils in the FCT.
The train of the campaign made its first stop at Abaji Area Council with a courtesy call on the Area Council Chairman and the Ona of Abaji, Wednesday.
Flagging off the Sensitization Campaign, Director Forecasting, Response and Mitigation of FEMA, Florence Wenegieme, explained that the essence of the sensitization is to educate residents of the FCT, especially people at the grassroots on the need to become aware of hazards and ways to prevent, mitigate and respond in cases of emergencies.
She explained that Disasters come in different forms such as flooding, building collapse, fire outbreaks, and epidemics among others.
Wenegieme, noted that the theme for this year’s commemoration is tagged “Inclusiveness for future resilience”; emphasizing that the focus is not on structures but on human beings and the need to ensure inclusiveness for the vulnerable persons, especially pregnant women, aged women, children, and the physically challenged.
Her words: “This year’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is quite different because it has to do with inclusiveness with focus on creating awareness about those who are vulnerable during disasters.”
The Director noted that response to an emergency is not a one-man business but requires the efforts of everyone, explaining, that it is the reason the Agency has its local Vanguards, divers, disaster marshals, and volunteers across every Area Council.
The Ona of Abaji, Alh. Adamu Baba Yunusa, while welcoming the team expressed support for the sensitization campaign and pledged to ensure that it is cascaded to the communities under his watch.
The traditional ruler, however, appealed for the campaigns to be translated into more languages; emphasizing that FCT has about nine tribes that need to be properly informed about disaster risk reduction response in the communities.
While receiving the FEMA team on a courtesy call, the Area Council Chairman, Abubakar Umar Abdullahi, pledged to support the activities of FEMA to ensure that disasters are reduced to the barest minimum in communities in the Area Council.
The Area Council Chairman, who was represented by the Council Secretary, Abdulrahman Ndagi, promised to set up the Local Emergency Committee to ensure that emergencies across communities are duly attended to.
The Disaster Risk Reduction campaign train is set to move to Gwagwalada, Bwari, Kwali, Kuje, and AMAC in the coming days to cascade the sensitization across the length and breathe of the Nation’s capital.
Abuja Digest recalled that the United Nations has set aside the 13th October as the International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction commemorated annually, and calls for fighting inequality for a resilient future, which is the theme of the 2023 observance.
