The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the World Bank and civil society partners have begun the review of Nigeria’s main emergency response frameworks to tackle new climate, environmental and security threats.
The two-day stakeholders’ inception workshop, which opened on Wednesday in Abuja, focuses on updating the National Disaster Management Framework (NDMF) and the National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP).
The Director-General, NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, said that Nigeria’s risk environment was changing rapidly, citing severe floods, climate-related hazards, conflict-induced displacement, disease outbreaks, and complex urban emergencies.
Umar noted that while the existing NDMF and NDRP guidelines had served as vital blueprints, evolving operational realities and lessons from recent emergencies made a comprehensive review imperative.
“This review provides us with an opportunity to strengthen coordination among stakeholders, clarify roles and responsibilities, improve early warning and early action systems, address gaps in response structures, and integrate emerging risks such as climate change and insecurity.”
She added that the updated frameworks would ensure that vulnerable populations, including persons with disabilities, women, children, and the elderly, were adequately factored into disaster planning and response protocols.
The Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist for the World Bank Group, Dr Francis Nkoka, expressed the bank’s commitment to supporting the review process through technical assistance and financial resources.
Nkoka added that the increasing frequency and complexity of natural and human-induced hazards in Nigeria required stronger institutions and robust preparedness systems to protect lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure development.
”The review of the NDMF and the NDRP represents a timely opportunity to strengthen the Nigeria Disaster Risk Management Architecture.
“The review also align with evolving national priorities, emerging risks, and global good practices across federal, state, and local government levels,” Nkoka said.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI), Mrs Patience Ogolo-Dixon, urged stakeholders to intentionally mainstream disability inclusion into all emergency response mechanisms.
Ogolo-Dixon, who also represented the Disability Rights Fund, noted that vulnerable groups, especially women and girls with disabilities, faced heightened risks and systemic barriers to accessing life-saving information and emergency services during crises.
”Experience has shown that when disability inclusion is not intentionally integrated into disaster preparedness, response, and resilience-building efforts, they will be left behind in policy, programming, and implementation,” she said.
Earlier, the Director of Planning, Research, and Forecasting at NEMA, Dr Godwin Tepikor, welcomed participants, noting that the diverse turnout of ministries, development partners, humanitarian organisations, academia, and civil society would enrich the review process.
Tepikor expressed optimism that the technical contributions over the two-day session would yield practical, implementable solutions to enhance national resilience and emergency response across the country.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)