By Thompson Yamput
Kogi Governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo on Monday pledged to take drastic measures toward effective disaster management and protection against the impact of natural disasters in Nigeria.
The governor made pledge while receiving the report of the Technical Working Group of the Ad-hoc Committee on Flood and Other Nature-Induced Disasters (Mitigation, Adaptation, Preparedness, and Response) of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Kogi Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.
Ododo, in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Ismaila Isah, noted that the report of the Technical Working Group will serve as a boost for the commitment of the federal government to address challenges in the management of natural disasters in the country.
Ododo said that the report was a culmination of several weeks of dedicated work by the Technical Working Group, expected to serve as a foundation for the development of a national roadmap for proactive management of nature-induced disasters in Nigeria”.
The governor commended the Technical Working Group, led by the Honourable Minister of State for Water Resources, Alhaji Bello Mohammed Goronyo, for their hard work and diligence on the national assignment.
He described the report as timely in view of the rainy season and its importance for the far-reaching recommendations aimed at finding lasting solutions to the cyclic challenges posed to the safety and well-being of communities across the nation by adverse climatic events.
He, however, entrusted the report to the Committee’s Secretariat which would be responsible for finalizing a comprehensive national roadmap based on the TWG’s findings to be presented to Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Economic Council for further action and implementation.
ephemeralnews.ng reports that the Ad-hoc Committee on Flood and Other Nature-Induced Disasters (Mitigation, Adaptation, Preparedness, and Response) of the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Ododo had convened over the weekend to receive the final report from its Technical Working Group.
The official handover of the comprehensive report, detailing findings and recommendations for better mitigation, adaptation, preparedness and response (MAPR) to the impact of floods, erosion, drought and desertification across Nigeria signals the completion of the assignment of the Technical Working Group.
The meeting was attended by the Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, experts from the ministry of water resources, the ministry of environment and sanitation and the Kogi State Director-General of Research and Development, Hon. Moses Okezie.
Others in attendance were representatives of various federal agencies, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) among others, and other members of both the TWG and the NEC Ad-hoc Committee. (ephemeralnews.ng)