Emergency Agency to Lead Joint Assessment of IDP settlements in Kaduna

By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna

Following the successful review of the Kaduna State Risk Analysis Mapping and Multi Hazard Contingency Plan, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA), Muhammed Muazu Mukaddas, said the agency is set to lead a joint assessment of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) settlements across the State.

The ES, disclosed this in Zaria, at the end of the three-day review meeting with disaster management professionals, both in the State MDAs, LGAs, Federal Agencies and Local and International NGOs, supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The emergency response tools aims to strengthen the state government’s ability to make informed decisions about reducing risk on floods and other disasters.

According to Mukaddas, the joint assessment became necessary to enable all the sectors to identify challenges in various IDP settlements that needs to be addressed.

“We have had to carry out those assessment as SEMA, but this time around because of the humanitarian challenges and gaps we have observed in some of the temporary shelters, we are in the process of bringing all sectors together to be able to go together to the camps, so that each sector will carefully assess sectoral issues like malnutrition, like lack of sanitation and hygiene facilities, lack of dispensaries, PHCs in some of the communities, and all of those things.

“This is why I want us to go together as a team to go and observe and be briefed to come up with one holistic situation report with which we would approach the Government, because we want to see that sectors are converging in the IDPs temporary shelters. We want to see water, boreholes, latrines, a semblance of convergence in the camps”. He said.

The KADSEMA ES further said, “We now have a reviewed and completed Contingency Plan with which we will work with through 2022 and 2023 before we come back to review it. We have a Response Plan with which we will use to address any challenges that might come up with the rains, we have Maps to guide us correctly.

“We now have tool that we will use to advocate for the release of funds. I know as a result of this, we will see improves coordination; institutional and operational coordination. We want to see ministries have meetings within ministries, we will also push for MDAs to come for periodic and sectorial coordination meetings to dissect the contingency plan, that’s the only way we can always keep the contents of this Plan close to our hearts”.

He thank UNICEF and other stakeholders for their support and success of the meeting.

On her part, representative of the Officer in Charge (OiC) of UNICEF Kaduna Field Office, Theresa Pamma, noted that the investment made by SEMA by organizing the workshop is clearly quite impactful.

She appealed to participants to let the outcome of the workshop be a very positive step in ensuring they come together in delivering services to those who are in need of them, adding “if a Community is at the verge, they need water, they need health, they need education and other services”.

She commended SEMA, for planning, coordinating and conducting a successful workshop, saying “I think this is a very great step at the beginning of our working together. I’m happy with the passion with which SEMA has made it, emphasising on our integrated approach and this is what we have been suffering all along”.