The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has lamented over the inability of the Plateau Government to establish a State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), in spite of the conflicts plaguing the state.
The NEMA Zonal Coordinator, Alhaji Alhassan Aliyu? told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Jos, that the situation was “regrettable’’.
“Plateau remains the most sensitive and volatile state in the North-Central zone in terms of man-made disasters, but unfortunately, no premium has been placed in establishing a SEMA to manage the situation.
“Managing the crises in Plateau has been very tasking and we have continued to pester the state government to establish a functional SEMA to complement our efforts.
“The crises in Plateau are many; farmers clash with pastoralists, herdsmen attacking rural dwellers, while ethnic, religious and political conflicts have become common place.
“There are also ecological and natural disasters like flood.
“Since NEMA came on board in 1999, it has always advised states to have their own SEMA. Many states have established SEMA but Plateau is still lagging behind,’’ Aliyu said.
The coordinator explained that the situation had always slowed down responses to disasters and mitigation of conflicts.
He called on the state government and the State House of Assembly to urgently collaborate to establish the agency, so as to complement the efforts of NEMA in the state.
According to him, the state agency will be responsible for managing disasters which are not of serious magnitude and will invite NEMA when it is beyond its capacity to handle.
The coordinator said the agency should also be established in local government areas to handle disasters at the local level.
“SEMA is supposed to respond immediately to disasters in local communities and only invite NEMA where such occurrences become overwhelming.
“If a disaster happens in Benue and the state government keeps waiting for NEMA from the Zonal Headquarters in Jos, before we respond, it may be very late,” he observed.
The coordinator said that the agency had been responding swiftly to attacks and explosions in the state, through its search and rescue team.
He also said that the agency had? intervened in the provision of relief assistance to victims of disasters and to hospitals in the state. (NAN)