The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has commenced early preparations for flooding and other disasters in Rivers and Bayelsa, following the predictions of high flood risks in the states. 

The Head of Operations, Port Harcourt Office of NEMA, Chidi Ogunda, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ coordination meeting on disaster preparedness and response in Port Harcourt on Friday.

The meeting brought together stakeholders, including the Nigerian Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Federal Fire Service, State Security Service, National Orientation Agency, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigerian Red Cross, among others.

Mr Ogunda said the initiative was driven by the need to review past disasters, identify gaps, and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders to effectively mitigate the impending flooding.

“Disaster management is everybody’s business and, as such, requires all stakeholders to come together, deliberate, and develop strategies to manage disasters effectively,” he said.

He explained that the meeting aimed at fostering collaboration, sharing ideas, and strengthening response mechanisms across agencies and communities.

Mr Ogunda said the 2026 National Flood Outlook identified 33 states and the FCT as high-risk areas, affecting 266 local government areas and 14,118 communities.

According to him, NEMA would soon commence training and capacity-building for stakeholders and communities to improve response to disasters.

“This meeting is to bring stakeholders together to share ideas and strategies on managing disasters within our jurisdictions.

“With these predictions, we must begin early preparation, build resilience, and ensure that all agencies are equipped to respond effectively,” he said.

He added that the agency would also engage and equip local actors, volunteers and community leaders to respond promptly to the expected flooding.

The NEMA official said that Nigeria had moved from reactive disaster response to predictive and preventive strategies but needed to strengthen resilience.

He noted that since 2012, flooding had been recurrent in the country, stressing that efforts must go beyond response to building a resilient nation capable of mitigating disasters.

“Preparedness should not be limited to flooding alone but extended to fire outbreaks, road crashes, and other emergencies.

“Incidents occur daily and require coordinated responses from all relevant agencies,” he added.

Mr Ogunda emphasised inter-agency collaboration, noting that different organisations had specific roles in disaster management.

Also speaking, the area commander, Choba Police Division, Philip Udechukwu, said the police remained proactive in disaster response efforts.

He said that the police were always ready to assist and often take the lead, particularly during emergencies.

“Officers are often the first to respond to incidents, including fire outbreaks, even before relevant agencies arrive. Therefore, we are ready to assist,” he said.

Nosakhare Obasohan, the officer in charge of social duty and external relations, FRSC Rivers Command, said the corps was targeting a 10 per cent reduction in road crashes in 2026.

He said FRSC had trained community volunteers in post-crash care to provide first aid before the arrival of officials.

“We also operate a toll-free emergency number, 122, for reporting road crashes and other emergencies,” he stated.

A representative of the Federal Fire Service in Rivers, Amadi Gift, said the agency had intensified sensitisation on fire prevention.

He called for stronger synergy among agencies to improve response to emergencies and reduce the impact of disasters.

“We do not wait for disasters. We visit homes, businesses, and institutions to educate them on fire safety and the use of equipment,” Mr Gift said. 

(NAN)