Don't Miss


Home   >   Goverment   >   Flood prevention: NOA’s initiative gets NEMA’s nod

Flood prevention: NOA’s initiative gets NEMA’s nod

By on May 9, 2013

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is the latest stakeholder to endorse the National Orientation Agency (NOA)’s initiative aimed at imbibing a set of new refuse management behavior to mitigate occurrence of flood disaster in the country.

In recent time, Nigeria has had its own share of flood disasters resulting mainly from human induced practice which has been generally blamed for flooding.

Reeling out the proposal on Solid Waste Management and Environmental Orientation, a public private partnership initiative of the Agency, the Director General of the NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri identified deficit in the country’s environmental waste management, adding that the NOA had mandate to mobilize all Nigerians for action towards “acceptable” waste disposal practices that would mitigate the effect of flood.

“Our action in NOA is prompted by the sudden surge in flood disaster; we should build a resilient environment to deal with the menace. A new set of waste disposal attitude needs to be adopted to forestall future occurrence of this magnitude,” Omeri said.

He said further that a “modern” waste bin which would be at the centre of the new campaign would help to sort and categorize refuse for easy disposal and recycling conforming to international best practices, saying the proposed bin would be adapted to communities needs as “they will be labeled in local languages.”

While endorsing the NOA’s initiative which he admitted it was all encompassing from point of view of the orientation aspect to practice of “decent” waste disposal behavior, the Director-General of NEMA, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi thanked the NOA for the proposal and underscored the prospect of the initiative’s ability to challenge “human induced effect of flood disaster.” He recalled the extent of damage in the 2012 flooding, urging all Nigerians to embrace the new culture of refuse management.

Sidi said: “Disaster is everyone’s business; we and the NOA are out to build a resilient society against flood. Poor environmental practices should be blamed for unprecedented flood disaster.”

Both NOA and NEMA had in recent time organized North-west Sensitization Workshop on Waste Management. Also, a joint press conference on flood disaster was held ahead of preparation to the 2013 rainy season at the instance of the CEOs of the NOA, NEMA, NESREA.

Paul Odenyi
Chief Press Secretary