US to help Nigeria improve disaster management, preparedness

The United States of America, has offered to assist Nigeria in improving her disaster management capabilities.

The US Bilateral Affairs Officer, US Embassy in Abuja, Major Chidi  Adighije, said this in an interview with journalists at a one-day seminar on Disaster Response and Emergency Management organised by the US Embassy in conjunction with the Ministry of Interior in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the major objective of the seminar was to educate the Nigerian emergency agencies on how disaster management is done in the US, while also discussing how to improve strategies to meet the local situation.

Adighije said, “In the US, we have several agencies that are involved when it comes to disaster management and preparedness which is quite similar to what Nigeria has, however implementation might be different.

“If there are any gaps, we hope this seminar will bring that to light and we will see where we can facilitate in bridging those gaps.

“It’s the believe of the US Embassy and the Nigerian government that having experts in the same room, they will be able to figure that piece out. Ultimately, what everybody wants to see is that the agencies that are responsible for disaster can actually come to light and be productive in event of a disaster.”

Speaking on behalf of the Nigerian Armed forces, Comm. Ahmed Saleh, said disaster constituted a challenge to every government, stressing that it was important to know the best way to manage it.

“We want to know how best to manage disaster, that is why Nigeria invited the US to come and teach us how best to mitigate disaster in the country,” he said.

Also speaking, the representative of the Ministry of Interior, Modupe Omisore, said Nigeria was always open to assistance from the US which, she said, was always available to support the nation.

“We recognise the fact that we are not up to the task in the area of disaster management, so that informs this seminar,” she added.

The Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior and the National Emergency Management Agency participated in the seminar.

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