ABUBAKAR YUSUF.
Alhaji Mustapha Habib Mohammed is the new Director -General, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, since June, 2021.
Barely 17 months at the mantle of leadership a lot of reforms has taking place in all areas that tended to have repositioned the wholly emergency outfit of Nigeria’s government.
With the new leadership, renewed vigour to deliver on its mandate, Mustapha Mohammed Habib had gone beyond mere ceremonies of distribution of emergency items to naturally affected people and phenomenon, but involved in routine monitoring and forecasts ,as well as predictions that had put stakeholders on toes, towards mitigating the natural occurrences.
Under Mohammed Mustapha Habib routine and yearly programs of attending to emergencies had been rejigged to meet the prevailing realities arising from both natural and artificial occurrences.
Coming at a time when there was a lot of dimensions in natural and emergency occurrences and reoccurrences in Nigeria , the new leadership has proved it’s mettle by tackling the issues headlong towards redressing the growing scenario.
Appointed at the thick period of the rainy season, a critical period were destruction of both public and private properties was always witnessed from the windstorm that will later metamorphosed to floodings across the country, Mohammed without hesitation, settled down to confront the usual hustle and bustle of the rainy season.
Soon after his appointment in June, 2021, the new leadership had predicted heavy flooding in 2022 , that eventually ravaged the country, though, with counter action geared towards mitigating the natural phenomenon.
In line with it’s mandate , the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, had embarked on distribution of essential items to address the unfortunate incidences during the rainy and harmattan season that usually comes with fire outbreaks among many others.
Mustapha embarked on massive distribution of food items to not only natural occurrences area, but areas saddled and ravaged with banditry, kidnappings, Boko Haram insurgency particularly in the North East, part of North Wast and across the country.
The new Director -General ensured the routine distribution of these items to address and provide succour to the indigents and affected Nigerians across the country.
Towards the hazy weather in 2021, NEMA had predicted intermittently the envisaged floodings in 2022, advising residents of flood prone areas to move up and state governments to take proactive measures towards addressing the last floodings.
With less action from the states that led to the dire consequences in this year’s floodings, NEMA through its pro-activeness had swung into action through provision of emergency relief materials to flood prone states along others vulnerable areas in Nigeria.
The new leadership aside emergencies had embarked on distribution of grains totalling about 12, 000 to each 36 states of the federation including the FCT to mitigate the effects of floodings among many other unforseen circumstances as directed by the federal government.
The distribution of the grains along other emergency programs of NEMA is ongoing across the country, with a sound of warning from the agency for the worst floodings in 2023.
The positive development and managerial experience been displayed by the current leadership, through sounding a note of warning will give both the state and federal government enough time to prepare ahead of any unforseen circumstances arising from the next year’s rainy season.
With the current approach, reforms and initiatives, no doubt, more strides will be attracted towards realizing the objectives of the existence of the emergency agency by the current leadership.
Written by ABUBAKAR YUSUF and can be reached on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
