The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has commenced a three-day training aimed at improving emergency preparedness and response across Gombe and other states.
The training, which began on Tuesday, focuses on strengthening risk communication, community engagement, social and behavioural change, misinformation management and preparedness during humanitarian crises.
Participants include emergency preparedness and response officials from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Plateau, Taraba and Yobe states, who are receiving practical training to enhance their ability to respond effectively to emergencies.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, NEMA Director of Planning, Research and Forecasting, Godwin Tepikor, said effective engagement with communities was essential to improving disaster preparedness and emergency response.
Tepikor, who was represented by the Head of Operations at NEMA’s Bauchi/Gombe office, Hajiya Umuna Ahmed, commended UNICEF for its continued support towards strengthening emergency management efforts.
He noted that the growing frequency and complexity of disasters had made effective risk communication, community listening, misinformation management and timely protective measures increasingly important.
According to him, the training would equip participants with practical skills to ensure that early warning messages reach communities promptly, accurately and in forms that enable residents to take appropriate protective action.
Tepikor added that effective communication and community engagement would help people better understand risks, make informed decisions and act early to protect lives and livelihoods.
He described the programme as an avenue for stronger collaboration among state emergency management agencies, government ministries, departments and agencies, humanitarian organisations and other stakeholders.
He encouraged participants to share experiences, exchange best practices and strengthen partnerships while applying the knowledge gained to improve emergency preparedness and community resilience in their respective states.
Also speaking, UNICEF Social and Behaviour Change Officer for Emergency, Public Health and Humanitarian Action, Margaret Shoyemi, said the programme was designed to strengthen emergency preparedness at the state level.
Shoyemi said the training would enhance participants’ capacity in preparedness, community engagement, accountability to affected populations and the use of data to guide community-based interventions.
She explained that UNICEF’s participation was important because emergencies often have significant consequences for women, children, families and communities, whose specific needs must be considered during crisis response.
Shoyemi identified flooding, disease outbreaks such as Lassa fever and cholera, displacement and other humanitarian crises among the challenges confronting Nigeria.
She stressed that building the capacity of emergency responders was crucial to ensuring that the needs of women and children were properly identified and addressed during emergencies.
She further advocated stronger coordination among agencies involved in emergency management, including NEMA, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).