The federal government has activated the National Emergency Operation Centre to coordinate responses and provide timely support to victims of floods and public health concerns.

The director-general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, disclosed this at a national emergency coordination forum held on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ms Umar said the centre would share information, provide timely support to affected areas, and collate and analyse flood incident data. She added that the centre would ensure that emergency responses were as accurate as possible.

The NEMA boss expressed the hope that the step, together with those of other stakeholders, will reduce to the barest minimum, the impact of flooding.

She highlighted the agency’s ongoing efforts to address the predicted 2024 flood disaster by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NISA).

According to her, 20 states and 52 local government areas had already been affected by flooding.

She emphasised the need for public awareness and proper waste management to mitigate the impact of floods.

Ms Umar said the workshop would awaken NEMA to take more proactive measures to save the lives of the citizens and adequately respond in areas that had been affected.

Trond Jensen, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) in Nigeria, commended NEMA for its leadership in disaster preparedness and response.

He emphasised the importance of efficient resource use and anticipatory action to address cholera outbreaks and urged collaboration among all stakeholders to enhance emergency response capabilities.

“Rather than waiting for an outbreak of cholera, what can we do in terms of preparedness so that we can make sure that the systems that are needed to respond are fully resourced?

“This is one of the things that we are looking at as UN-OCHA, together with our colleagues from UNICEF, the World Health Organisation and other partners,” he said.

Mr Jensen assured the support of his organisation and other partners to safeguard the lives of Nigerians and ensure a resilient community.

(NAN)