Reps decry NEMA’s slow response to emergencies
The House of Representatives has called on its Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness to review the activities of the National Emergency Management Agency to ascertain the extent of conformity with its mandate.
It also mandated the same committee to evaluate NEMA’s disaster response capabilities in terms of personnel competencies and response/management infrastructures.
The resolutions of the House followed the adoption of a motion titled: “Need to Strengthen the National Emergency Management Agency to Enhance Speedy Response to Emergencies and Disaster Occurrences in Nigeria.”
It was brought by Philip Agbese (APC, Benue).
Agbese, while leading the debate, expressed concern about various complaints against NEMA by victims of disasters and stakeholders for its delayed and ineffective interventions.
According to him, NEMA has abandoned its duty of responding to emergencies and is now concerned only with the distribution of relief materials.
Agbese said if nothing was done about the situation “Nigerians will lose confidence which would lead to its eventual transformation into a bureaucratic institution and a cash cow for unscrupulous individuals.”
While adopting the motion, the House further mandated the Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness to proffer recommendations on how to improve the agency’s efficiency and effectiveness and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.
