The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has sought the support and partnership of the media in preventing the outbreak of Lassa fever and coronavirus in the country.
The Ekiti Head of Operations of NEMA, Mr Olusegun Afolayan, who made the call at a stakeholder meeting in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, called on residents to refrain from activities capable of causing disasters in the state.
The theme of the stakeholders meeting is: “Strengthening Inter-Agency Relationship on Preparedness and Response to Emergencies in Ado-Ekiti”.
Afolayan said that the agency had launched the introduction of mass messages which would help in the awareness and preparation to build a culture of prevention and mitigation of natural disasters.
He said that it would help in building their capacity and develop ways of arresting disastrous events and enhance effective communication and synergy, adding that most of the disasters were self-inflicted.
He said that NEMA had recently developed a plan on mass fatality and the National Disaster Risk Management policy.
The NEMA head of operations said the policy would provide supportive measures to strengthen communities, individuals, businesses, and institutions to minimize the adverse effects of disasters.
He said that it would enhance the ability to prepare, respond, react and prevent disasters across the state.
Mr Jide Borode, the General Manager of the State Emergency Management Agency (EKSEMA), advised residents to abide by the rules that could prevent disasters in their environment.
He urged residents to desist from the habit of dumping refuse arbitrarily in drainages and canals to prevent flood disaster in the state since the rainy season would soon set in.
Papers were presented on an overview of coordination in emergency response and the importance of information management in emergencies.
Participants at the meeting included emergency experts, Police, Fire Service, Immigration, National Orientation Agency, Red Cross, Nigeria Television Authority, Ekiti Broadcasting Service among others. (NAN)
