The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen partnerships between the two agencies towards improved service delivery in the areas of disaster management.

The agreement was signed in Abuja by the Director General of NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed and Commandant General of NSCDC Ahmed Abubakar Audi at the NSCDC headquarters.

Speaking at the occasion, the NEMA DG said the MoU was a step in the right direction towards the better provision of safety, security and dignity of Nigerians before, during and after the sudden onset of disasters and emergencies.

He said the partnership had become imperative as “we make a renewed resolve to confront the growing complexity of disaster and the attendant humanitarian outcomes in Nigeria driven by conflicts and powered by extreme weather and climatic events.”

Therefore, he noted that the MoU would further drive towards a well-coordinated and stronger partnership between NEMA and the NSCDC for the management of disasters especially “as we start preparation for this year’s annual floods and any possible eventuality that might arise during the upcoming general elections in Nigeria in less than a month from now.”

While describing the NSCDC as a strategic partner of NEMA, the NEMA DG Ahmed said “the NSCDC has consistently provided NEMA with security and safety cordon to enable a successful lifesaving search and rescue operation.”

“The Emergency Response Unit of the NSCDC has always provided a veritable opportunity for sustaining the strong mutual support and collaboration between NEMA and the NSCDC. Under every disaster situation, there are potential secondary hazards that require working together with the NSCDC. As we say at NEMA, ‘every disaster site is a potential crime site’ and this underscores the need for a better relationship between NEMA and the NSCDC,” added.

Furthermore, he said NEMA has already provided a desk office for NSCDC at the Agency’s headquarters for better liaison between the two organizations and consistently considered the imperative to partner towards capacity building of both staff members to improve on their service delivery.

In his remark, the Commandant General of NSCDC Ahmed Abubakar Audi described the MoU apt and germane to the mandates of NEMA and NSCDC, noting that it would further enhance the existing partnership and service delivery of the two agencies.