The visiting five-member delegation from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria led by its director general Thursday visited the Observer Company as one of its host's key partners in the advocacy component of disaster risk reduction in the country.

The team which ended its three-day visit to The Gambia today is in the country as guests of the Office of the Vice President and the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) to provide technical assistance and other support to The Gambia through the NDMA to boost its operational and tactical efficiency and effectiveness in guiding and coordinating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities in the country, learn examples of best practices and warehousing, among others.

The visit, accordingly, is historic as it aims to strengthen the existing partnership between the Observer Company and the NDMA within the spirit of advocacy in the realisation awareness creation. 

“As you may know the Daily Observer Newspaper is one of our key partners when you talk of advocacy on disaster risk reduction on climate change adaptation. We have been working closely with them in our advocacy drive to push the advocacy not only at the national level but also at a distance level, advancing the advocacy agenda to the level of communities,” said Essa Khan, the executive director of NDMA in his remarks. According to him, his agency operates on four pillars such as, resource moblisation; political commitments; among others.

Speaking earlier, Muhammed Sani Sidi, the director general of NEMA of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, said their mission to The Gambia was a response to a request for technical assistance support from their host agency in the country in order to enable them [their host, the NDMA] learn examples of best practices and warehousing, among others from his agency (NEMA).

“It is also meant to share our experience and exchange ideas with our partner agency in The Gambia as part of the Ecowas initiatives in encouraging South-South Cooperation.

We in Nigeria felt that because of the comparative advantage we have and the fact that we have an already established institution both at the Federal, State and the local government in managing disaster, we should share our experiences and best practices with other sister countries in line with the existing bilateral relationship that exists between Nigeria and The Gambia and to further strengthen and enhance the South-South Cooperation,” he said, adding that they will also be sending two of their staff who will be working with the NDMA to help them build their capacity in the areas of disaster risk reduction, integrated emergency management response and other areas of disaster.

According to him, disaster in recent times have constituted a major set back to national development, saying that the emphasis now the world over is that the paradigm from response to disaster risk reduction in Nigeria were able to push for the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction in making some of their national planning. “It is very important that Gambian tourism consider mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in their national planning,” he said.

The NEMA boss went further to assure that they will be giving opportunities to Gambian emergency response team to send some of their staff to their centres. “We have established six centres for disaster risk reduction in Nigeria in collaboration with six Nigerian Universities in disaster management,” he said.

Therefore, he added, “We will avail opportunities to some of their staff and organise simulation exercise in collaboration with the armed forces from time to time. We have also developed manuals to various disasters. So we are simulating those manuals and we will also invite them to simulation exercise in Nigeria”.

He continued: “We will avail the Gambian National Disaster Management Agency with all these opportunities so that they will also share the same thing. I thank you very much for receiving us and assure you that we value our collaboration with the media and we have of recent created a division, which used to be a unit in NEMA in charge of media. We thank you once again for receiving us. This demonstrates the fact that there exists very cordial and good relationship between the NDMA and the media. It has been demonstrated in practical terms.”

For his part, Pa Malick Faye, the Managing Director of the Observer Company (Gambia) Limited thanked the delegation for choosing to visit the Observer Company. He also joined Nigeria's NEMA boss to reiterate the good existing collaboration between the NDMA and his office especially in terms of advocacy. “We feel very honoured that you have chosen among the many media outlets in the country, especially the print to visit Observer,” said MD Faye, while assuring the visiting NEMA delegates and their host of his office’s continuous support to their activities.

To him, empowering media means creating more awareness on events as they unfold to which he said will make people to become more aware of the pros and cons, because when they are sensitised they would be able to know actually what to do even in terms of emergency. “So, as far as we are concerned the Daily Observer will do its best to ensure a continuous relation with the NDMA. We will not relent in our efforts to ensure that our partnership continues and we are happy that you have chosen Observer Company among the rest which is no mistake because we have the biggest circulation on daily basis,” he said.

He also spoke on the positive support the observerrendered to the NDMA in terms of advocacy in covering NDMA’s activities, especially the 2009 floods. “We will continue the partnership “ said MD Faye, while expressing hope that the visiting agencies will also maintain the collaboration .

He added: “Observer has the largest readership and any message you put in it will get across to the people. We really value this move because it shows that you appreciate thepartnership . You did not make any mistake by coming to Observer.”