Governor Hyacinth Alia has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening emergency management and humanitarian response mechanisms in Benue State to safeguard lives and improve the well-being of the people.
The Governor made this known on Thursday in Makurdi during a Flood Disaster Response Simulation Exercise organised by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, BSEMA.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr Sam Ode, Governor Alia said his administration would continue to support and strengthen Benue-SEMA, enhance preparedness measures and deepen collaboration with NEMA, security agencies, humanitarian organisations and other critical stakeholders to build resilient institutions and systems capable of responding effectively to emergencies and protecting lives and livelihoods.
He noted that Benue State continues to face serious humanitarian and disaster challenges owing to its location along the River Benue, which exposes many communities to recurrent flooding. He added that prolonged conflicts have displaced thousands of citizens from their ancestral homes and disrupted their means of livelihood. According to him, the situation demands not just a reactive approach to emergencies, but deliberate preparedness, effective coordination, sustained training and institutional capacity to respond swiftly when disasters occur.
Governor Alia commended the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, for initiating the simulation exercise and reminded her of the commitment she made during her last visit to the state to establish a rehabilitation scheme for persons impacted by conflicts in Benue State.
He said the proposed scheme has rekindled hope among displaced and conflict-affected persons who have suffered displacement, loss of livelihoods and destruction of their communities, assuring that the state government is ready to work closely with NEMA and other partners to ensure the intervention becomes a reality.
Earlier, the Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Umar, who was represented by the Director of Search and Rescue of the agency, Air Commodore B. A. Usman, described the exercise as an opportunity to test under near-realistic conditions the transition from early warning to community action, local coordination, state-level response and, where necessary, federal support. She said the exercise is designed to ensure that assistance begins closest to the affected population while providing additional capacity as the situation escalates.
Mrs Umar reiterated NEMA’s commitment to working with the Benue State Government and all stakeholders to strengthen disaster preparedness, reduce vulnerability and enhance capacity to save lives and protect livelihoods. She noted that the success of the exercise would be measured by the agency’s level of preparedness when confronted with an actual flood emergency.
She commended the government and people of Benue State, participating agencies and partners for their commitment to the exercise and acknowledged the contributions of early warning, security, health, rescue, humanitarian and technical institutions to effective flood response.
Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Alice Want Foundation, while food and non-food relief items were distributed to victims of flood disasters.
