Mr Mustapha Maihaja, Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has urged universities offering disaster risk management and development studies in the country to expand their research scope.
Maihaja spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at a roundtable with directors of the six centres of disaster risk management and development studies.
He said that the meeting was important to review and expand activities of the centres.
According to him, the expansion of the centre’s research scope will help to curb devastating number of disaster threats in the country.
“We know the position of the UN on disaster risk reduction which culminated in the 2015 to 2030 Sendai framework of disaster risk reduction and the set goal.
“We need to think out of the box, think ahead, plan ahead and think differently as far as disaster management is concerned.
“As such, we do not have an instrument or structure to meet these goals than the centres which the agency established,’’ the NEMA boss said.
He said that disaster management was a serious issue because it involved protecting lives and property.
“This is because when we reduce the risk to disasters, the cost of response will be reduced drastically.
“We need to expand the research scope and review the memorandum of understanding so as to come up with new responsibilities for the centres and the agencies,” he said.
Prof. Jaiye Dukiya, Director, Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna branch of the centre, commended the agency for its support over the years.
He added that the centres would continue to develop ideas that would reduce disaster risks in the country.
In 2009, NEMA signed an agreement with six universities to establish centres of disaster risk management and development studies.
The universities are Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Portharcourt, FUT Minna, University of Ibadan, University of Maiduguri and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
