The director-general of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar, has emphasised the urgent need for a comprehensive action plan to address disaster risks in Nigeria.

She said this at a workshop on Early Warning For All, National Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Strategic and Action Plan 2023-2030 in Abuja, on Monday.

According to her, the workshop coincided with the ongoing flood season in Nigeria and would provide an opportunity to review the level of preparedness, response, mitigation and long-term recovery strategies.

She added that the initiative stemmed from an assessment by the Overseas Development Institute for the UNDP, highlighting the necessity of improving DRR strategies in light of escalating disasters such as conflicts and floods.

Ms Umar noted that the Sahel region, where Nigeria is located, faced severe vulnerabilities due to poverty, environmental degradation, and climate change.

She further explained that the workshop was part of the Sahel Resilience Project titled ‘Strengthening Capacities for Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation for Resilience in the Sahel Region’.

According to her, the project aimed to foster risk-informed solutions for sustainable development in the Sahel countries, led by UNDP, African Union Commission, ECOWAS, UN Women, Lake Chad Basin Commission, AGHRYMET, and other regional actors.

She thanked international partners, particularly Sweden, for supporting this crucial project.

Ms Umar urged participants to focus on practical disaster prevention strategies and to collaborate effectively over the three-day workshop to develop a robust action plan that extended beyond 2030, ensuring sustainable disaster risk management in Nigeria.

Abdulrahman Mohammed, acting director of the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), identified stakeholders’ failure to use available data as a major problem confronting early warning of disaster in Nigeria.

Mr Mohammed stressed the need to enforce the use of data made available by NEMA and agencies.

(NAN)