By Oyibo Salihu
Lokoja
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has called on communities in Kogi state to strictly adhere to the 2015 Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) prediction on climatic change to avert the negative impacts of disaster in the state.
Coordinator of NEMA coordinator, Abuja Zonal Office, Mr Ishaya Isah Chonoko, who made the call yesterday in Lokoja during a one day interactive forum on the implication of NIMET’s 2015 seasonal rainfall prediction on flood and rainfall related disaster organised by NEMA in collaboration with Kogi State Emergency Management agency (KOSEMA), said the agency cannot not forget in a hurry the devastating effect of 2012 flood disaster in the state despite its early prediction.
Chonoko, who added that NEMA cannot afford to treat with levity the warnings for 2015, called on the critical stakeholders in the state to be alive to their responsibility to enable the society curb the danger inherent in the occurrence of disaster.
Represented by the zonal coordinator, Mr Bitrus Samuel, said the interactive forum was convened by both NEMA and KOSEMA to coordinate and educate key stakeholders in disaster management within Kogi State so that they can go back to sensitise the general public on disaster prevention and control.
He said: “The 2015 forecast will impact health, agriculture, water and sanitation. The objectives of this forum falls within NEMA/KOSEMA responsibility of monitoring the state of preparedness of stakeholders
“The focus shall be to ascertain what each relevant department and agency has done with NIMET’s prediction. Special attention shall be paid to the level of preparedness and response in reaction to the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) as well as the strategies that are being adopted for mitigation and prevention. The overall aim is to ensure that all departments and agencies are up and doing and not treating the SRP with flippancy.”
In his remarks, the Kogi state Governor, Captain Idris Wada, represented by the Special Adviser on Disaster Management, AVM Gabriel Abdul, said climatic change was a universal phenomenon that had adverse effects on economic and well being of the people.
The governor, who said the information was timely, added that from the 2015 prediction of NIMET, there would be excess heat that might pose effects on agriculture in the country.
While assuring that the state would strive hard within its available resources to mitigate and control disaster in the state, Wada commended NEMA for their efforts in tackling the effects of disaster in the state and the country at large.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of KOSEMA, Mrs Alice Ogedengbe, pointed out that the NIMET Prediction indicated that Lokoja would experience heat stress and heat-related illness, calling on the people to have measures against the outbreak of domestic fire to avoid dry weather related disaster and loss of lives.
