Disaster Risk Reduction campaign intensified!

Participants in an experience sharing session

Following increased vulnerability of the people to wide-ranging hazards in communities across Kaduna state, leading members of civil society organizations in the state, during the week underwent a two-day training on Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR), with emphasis on disaster management systems to augment and stimulate participatory tools of the targeted stakeholders.

The training, packaged by Christian Aid, touched on stages of disaster management, disaster risk reduction, risk, hazard, including early warning systems as well as the know how to strengthen governance systems on disaster risk reduction, especially in disaster-prone communities.

First to speak was Professor Edwin Iguisi of the Disaster Management Department of the Ahmadu University(ABU), Zaria. While dwelling on vulnerability and the difference between hazard and disaster, Professor Iguisi emphasized that disaster risk reduction, hinged on functional and early warning system, were key because 'prevention is better than cure'.

"How do we ensure that we have functional early warning systems before disasters rear their ugly heads. And whatever we do around early warning system must be concrete and timely. Hazard becomes a disaster when a community is overwhelmed. We also have what we call complex or multiple disasters where a disaster leads to other disasters", Professor Iguisi volunteered, pointing out that given the need for effective mitigation and prevention of disasters, it has become absolutely necessary for environmentalists, environmentally-inclined individuals and groups to collaborate and share understanding on the context and principles that determine disaster risk reduction.

On his part, Christian Aid's Senior Programme Coordinator, Disaster Management, Mr Bamidele Fagbite reasoned that using government and institutional interventions to mitigate or prevent disasters were insufficient, hence the two-day training for stakeholders in charity sector.

"The emphasis now is to empower the communities to take ownership of what intervention entails. This will go a long way in reducing vulnerabilities and strengthen people's capacities to cope with hazards from time to time", Fagbite disclosed.

The Zonal Coordinator North West of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Isah Chonoko, while addressing participants at the engagement, maintained that effective disaster management must be holistic, apolitical and down-to-earth.

According to Chonoko, disaster management is everybody's business, adding that the involvement of non-state actors in the DRR campaign was a welcome development.

On what he calls comprehensive school safety framework in disaster risk reduction (DRR), Program Officer Christian Aid, Mr Emmanuel Danjuma, said it "is a strategy designed to ensure safety in schools where most of our adolescents are concentrated".

Convener of the Network of Civil Society in Environment, Gloria Bulus who played a significant role in mobilizing participants, expressed appreciation to Christian Aid for recognizing civil society in the campaign to reduce, mitigate and manage disaster in the country.

Comments

TRIBUTE: Dr Bala Takaya 1930 - 2018

Bala John Takaya (2nd Left) at a function recently By Nasiru Jagaba Again, with rude shock, death has come upon us in the early hours of Sunday, 27th May, 2018. It is with deepest regret that the Middle Belt Youth Wing of Middle Belt Forum mourns the death of our President, Father, Mentor, and a tireless advocate of equity, fairness and justice, Dr Bala John Takaya, the President of Middle Belt Forum has silently closed the door of life and departed from us, never to return. 68 years old Takaya, an unparalleled University Senior Lecturer, a distinct politician who served as the Secretary to State Government of the old Gongola State, a member of the 1987 Political Bureau. On the fight to restore democratic system of governance, he worked hand in hand with Chief Solomon Lar. Also, in 1999 he was the governorship candidate of the All People’s Party, APP later ANPP. He is much esteemed in the community of Middle Belt and generally recognized as on...

Coalition urges COP-27 to fast track advocacy against Climate Change

Participants in a group photograph after the event in Kaduna By EDDY OCHIGBO, A coalition of environmental organizations in Kaduna, under the aegis Extinction Rebellion (XR) - a global movement which seeks to persuade governments to act justly on climate change and ecological emergency - has hosted a pre-COP27, in partnership with Bridge-that-Gap Initiative, to galvanize the campaign against climate change, as the the 27th Conference of Parties slated for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt kicks off. In an exclusive interview with NATIONAL ACCORD, one the coordinators of the event in Kaduna metropolis, Mr Zinta Akpoko, revealed that COP27, Egypt could become a turning point of the campaign, given that forerunners of the conference have since pledged to relentlessly push to prioritize climate financing for developing nations. "The effect of climate change is very evident and we need to be very frank by telling the truth about the inherent dangers tha...

Outcry over a Woman's Inhumanity

DANGWA DANJUMA F ollowing intense investigation and reports by BREKETE FAMILY a flagship radio programme on Human Rights Radio and Television station focusing on human rights abuse, on how Deborah Babaji Longs, a personal assistant to Mrs Mariam Ahmodu Ali, spent three days in a dog’s cage without food or water, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested the wife of former People’s Democratic Party National Chairman and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Col. Ahmodu Ali (rtd). The story of Deborah Babaji Longs, who worked as Mariam’s personal assistant, featured on Human Rights Radio and Television aka ‘Berekete Family’ on Saturday March 26, 2022 following a report of her alleged imprisonment by Mariam Ahmodu Ali. Narrating her ordeal, Deborah told Brekete Family under oath that Col. Ahmodou Ali, his two daughters and a son-inlaw witnessed the life threatening humiliation and blows meted out to her by Mrs Ali in the middle of their living room in their Abu...

Coalition cautions against Nigeria's Disunity

N etwork for Better Nigeria, a coalition of concerned Civil Society Organizations in the 19 Northern States has responded to the growing tension threatening national unity and socio-economic development of the country and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently collaborate with the governors in the 19 northern states and critical stakeholders to arrest the lingering insecurity in Nigeria. In a joint statement signed by Mallam Isiaku Abdulhameed, the coalition in collaboration with Arewa Youth Consultative Youth Movement, Arewa Youth Assembly and Chanchanta stated inter Alia: "the Federal Government should urgently collaborate with the Northern State Governors and come up with a modernistic livestock development policy which will not only provide solutions to the herders/farmers crises but transform the age long traditional open grazing towards providing additional economic value for pastoral communities. Equally, we wish to express our support on the position...

Kaduna CSOs move to track 2020 Budget implementation

A n elaborate template for budget tracking and monitoring of the 2020 budget - with special emphasis on procurement status, level of compliance, budget source documents and payments - have been put in place to identify bureaucratic bottlenecks, militating against optimum budget implementation in Kaduna state. This renewed impetus of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), was a fallout of a 2-day partners budget reflection meeting for all stakeholders working around budget in the state - put together by Partnership to Engage Reform and Learn in collaboration with UK aid - touched on trend analysis of budget in key service delivery sectors of Health, Education and Infrastructure, between 2016 and 2020 as well as a comprehensive review of citizens' engagements around 2020 budget development process with a view of making 2021 more effective and result oriented. Dr Elisha Auta Menson, who is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics of the Kaduna State Univer...

Cubinks NEWS

Search This Blog