The Katsina State Government on Thursday inaugurated Local Government Emergency Management Committees (LEMC) for the 34 Local Government Areas of the state.
This is to enhance disaster prevention and response at the grassroots level.
The composition of the committee includes security agencies, government officials, traditional and religious leaders as well as community leaders.
The committees are tasked with the responsibility of notifying the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) of potential natural disasters, implementing disaster prevention measures, and making recommendations to the agency.
Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State while inaugurating the committees at the State Secretariat Conference Hall, local councils to provide maximum support to the committees and assured continued government backing for SEMA’s operations.
The governor, represented by his Deputy Faruk Jobe observed that the importance of the committees cannot be over-emphasized; hence the need for them to work hard to achieve the desired objectives.
He assured government commitment to give maximum support to the State Emergency Management Agency for the overall development of the state, urging the committees to establish sub-committees at the ward level to extend their reach into communities.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Binta Dangani announced that the committees will work closely with the state agency on disaster management activities in their localities.
She maintained that the committee members are expected to create public awareness of potential hazards in their communities and educate their people on safety measures against any disaster.
She, therefore, highlighted the recent achievements recorded by the agency in 2024, where she said, the Katsina State Government spent over N62,180,000 to address 99 cases of fire disaster in addition to the purchase of grains worth N298,650,000 for distribution across the state.
On her part, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Zubaida Umar, represented by the Zonal Coordinator of the Agency Yusuf Gyallesu charged the newly inaugurated committees to act swiftly when disasters occur.
Gyallesu while commending the state government’s initiative, said pledged Federal Government support to Katsina’s emergency management efforts.
“Immediately report any disaster catastrophes to the agency before it goes beyond the emergency,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of all local government councils, the Chairman of Funtua Local Government Lawal Matazu restated their commitment to the committees’ success.
“We assured to work hard and rededicate ourselves to duty to achieve the objectives of reducing any disaster from the grassroots levels,” Matazu promised.
The inauguration ceremony attended by SEMA Executive Secretaries of Sokoto, Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, and Gombe states included an educational component, featuring a presentation on disaster management delivered by Yusuf Ahmad, providing technical guidance to the newly inaugurated committees.
