MANAGING DISASTER: WAY FORWARD

MANAGING DISASTER: WAY FORWARD

Currently in Nigeria, the approaches adopted towards managing disaster are pro-active approach. The Nigeria Environmental Management Agency (NEMA) embarked on a new initiative in disaster risk management to contain disaster or emergency through pro-active deployment of resources and personnel. This is toward raising awareness and building of early warning system and response mechanisms that can help in term of hazardous period but this could probably be statement alone and not accompany with action.

Over the years Nigerians have been experiencing disasters that left most people in a dire poverty situation with no or little help from the government and agencies which lacks capacity and wherewithal to intervene in such difficult situation.

Till now in some part of Nigeria, the reactive approach are still in practice because mostly the disaster will have occur before any intervention could be made either indirectly or directly and this would have affected properties, lives and displacement of homes.

Well, the need to systematically reduce the increased impact of disaster is steadily gaining recognition and commitment of government’s worldwide. For Nigeria to be able to reduce risk disaster there is need to incorporate her risks disaster policies into the national development effort.

Also, there is need for collaboration of stakeholders at the Federal level, State level, and Local Government level even civil society with a clearly define roles of each stakeholders.

Institution should be establish where there is lack of one and part of the vulnerable or affected people should be part of the established institution in order to be able to bring closeness between the vulnerable people to resolve their challenges. Along with this should be thorough awareness and risk assessment of the likely damages and quantification accessible by the people for proper enlighten and understanding of the issue under analysis.

Capacity development should be done in various local government to train personnel that can stands and perform effectively in the face of disaster. Despite of this, government should be the people centeredness and if the people see the seriousness of the government in coming to their rescue, there will not be any cause for alarm for the communities not to consent with the government and believe in their action.

Communities could also help in prevention and mitigation of disaster in such a way that they abide to the standards of material used in construction and follow the town planning in erecting any building so that it won’t be along the flooding path or hazard arena. Community can also help in identifying and getting involved in building systems that could prevent disaster, but the politician must show human centeredness in Nigeria before they could ever have the support of the communities except those directly receiving stipends from them.

In term of behavioral changes, Nigerians are so adamant to changes, despite of a lot of awareness about environments consequence or hazard risk,  most of them will not yield until the situation occur before realizing the effect. These were as a result of not believing in their leaders, after promises of looking after the people but fail to protect them and their properties. This has changes the way people think, react and believe. Why the people should answered the government who care not for them and now come suddenly asking for the people permission for house demolishing, and support them in their activities after the people has struggled on their own without any help from the government. The government even doesn’t know the existence of some of Nigerian. In order to change this orientation of the people, the leaders need some closeness to the communities to know how they feel, react and ensure they earned the people trust again. Now, based on action and not statement. There must be transparency in government and reductions in level of corruption that will make communities believe that the action of the government is real and not only to embezzle money.

Seeking public and political support is accomplished by making people believe in your action and getting involve. To do this there must be house to house publicity in the affected area and detail of the action for the people to understand vividly what is involve, the consequence and the benefit of what they about to do. Also making incentives available catering for those likely to be affected by the decision to be taken.

Cheers!!!