Staff of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have received specialised training from the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), to strengthen their preparedness for nuclear emergency response.

Sani Lokoja, NEMA North-West zonal director, made this known in a one-day lecture on Friday in Kaduna.

According to him, the exercise was designed to enhance the agency’s readiness for potential nuclear-related incidents.

Mr Lokoja urged participants to maximise the opportunity to deepen their understanding of nuclear hazards, stressing the need for sustainable collaboration between NEMA and CERT to build staff capacity.

Delivering the lecture, Yakubu Ibrahim, a nuclear physicist, highlighted the unique features of nuclear emergencies and how they differ from natural disasters.

He identified gaps in national preparedness, including limited specialised training, inadequate detection equipment, weak interagency coordination, few nuclear-specific drills, and low public awareness.

Mr Ibrahim called for a resilient disaster management framework anchored on early risk identification, timely notification, and effective protective actions.

He listed priority areas for investment, such as technical capacity development, medical response capability, security logistics, and public communication.

In his closing remark, Sulaiman Muhammad, NEMA’s head of operations, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to continued collaboration with CERT to strengthen Nigeria’s nuclear emergency preparedness architecture.

(NAN)