By Oboh Linus
The Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency says it is committed to rapid response to disasters and risk reduction in Nasarawa State.
Mr Benjamin Akwash, Director General, Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency, disclosed this in a press briefing on Tuesday in Lafia to mark his one year in office.
According to him, the average response time to flood and fire incidents since he assumed office has been reduced to between 24 and 48 hours across the 13 LGAs of the state.
He said the agency achieved the feat through a rapid-response mechanism and a 24/7 call line where the phone numbers of the DG, Management staff as well as contact persons in the 13 LGAs could be reached to report emergency occurrences.
Akwash said that the agency had
distributed relief materials worth millions of naira to more than 3000 households affected by windstorms, floods, communal clashes and fire outbreaks across the state in the year under review.
He also said that apart from the distribution of relief material such as food items and non-food items, it also facilitated the rebuilding of several homes that were destroyed by disaster-related occurrences across the state.
Akwash said the agency has trained Local Emergency Management Committee (LEMC) volunteers across the 13 LGAs with the Deputy Chairmen of the LGAs as the Chairmen of the committee on first aid, search and rescue, and disaster risk reduction.
“We supported so many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Toto, Kadarko, Doma, Giza, Mama and Jibel and other places, and also coordinated their safe return to their communities.
“We are working in partnership with NEMA, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, the International Organisation for Migrants (IOM) and the Red Cross to get relief materials for victims of disasters and to share resources and expertise.
‘We partner with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Red Cross Society on Flood Mitigation and Early Warning
“We are disseminating regular weather updates to the people in the nooks and crannies of the state. We thank God that no lives were lost to flooding in 2025,” he said.
He commended Gov Abdullahi Sule’s leadership for prioritising the protection of lives and the restoration of human dignity.
“These results we have achieved reflect Gov Abdullahi Sule’s clear directive to protect lives and restore the dignity of the people,” he said. (NAN)
