The agency’s Director General, Muhammad Sani Sidi, disclosed this in Calabar at the opening of the annual consultative meeting of NEMA with the heads of the States Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA).
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says about 743,062 persons have been internally displaced by conflicts and natural disasters in various parts of the country.
The agency’s Director General, Muhammad Sani Sidi, disclosed this in Calabar at the opening of the annual consultative meeting of NEMA with the heads of the States Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA).
As of September 2014, he said that 676,975 of that number were attributable to conflicts and 66,087 to natural disasters.
“Disaster occurrences and the number of affected people have risen significantly in recent years as a result of the impacts of climate change, insurgency, communal conflicts and skirmishes between farmers and pastoralists amongst others,” Mr. Sidi explained. He noted that in addition to the attendant humanitarian crisis, this has also impacted negatively on our development as a nation.
He said these problems require the urgent and collective action of the stakeholders to complement the steps being taken by the federal government which has been providing necessary assistance to the affected persons through his agency.
Calling for commitment in order to meet the challenges confronting the displaced persons, he pledged that NEMA would continue to collaborate with the stakeholders, assuring that his agency "will continue to do this as it constitutes our primary responsibility to our citizens."
Mr. Sidi said the consultative meeting was to enable the appraisal of the available structures, facilities, challenges and prospects for efficient and effective disaster management in the country.
The Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Mr Effiok Cobham, who represented Governor Liyel Imoke, declared the meeting open. He expressed appreciation of the role of NEMA in the improvement of disaster management in the country, and urged the participants to identify and advise government on measures to focus on disaster prediction and prevention.