NEMA To Train Secondary School Students On Disaster Management In Delta

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South -South Zone said it would soon train secondary school students in Delta State on disaster management tips.

The Zonal Coordinator, Mr James Eze, Zonal Coordinator stated this while inaugurating a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Club in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The DRR was a project of the 2015 batch "B" NEMA- NYSC Community Development Service (CDS) in three schools in the state.

The coordinator, represented by the Agency's Zonal Information Officer, Mr Joseph Akpofabe, said the training was part of catching them young and feeding them with the right information, aimed at saving life.

He said that with the spate of disaster in the country, mostly due to climate change, it would be right to equip the young people with adequate information on how to prevent disaster in their environment.

According to him, disaster risk reduction is an aspect on NEMA and it is better to reduce risks than allow it happen and begin to manage it.

“We are impressed with the large number of students who had accepted to become members of the DRR club in the state, this means catching them young from the grassroots, in schools to help us with information dissemination.

“We shall train them on safety management tips to enable them understand and identify things that portends danger around, causes of accidents and how to prevent accidents be it domestic, roads, fire, flood among others", he explained.

Earlier, in a speech read by the NYSC CDS Group Leader, Miss Faliat Ahmed, she said the inauguration was simultaneously done in St. Patrick's College, Osadenis Mixed Secondary School and Asagba Mixed Secondary School in Asaba.

She said the inauguration became necessary to find ways of reducing the rising challenges occasioned climate change and other forms of disasters in the country.

According to her, the youths were the target because they would inherit the legacy of the present actions and the inactions on the environment.

“So, it has become very crucial for the youths to be directly involved in the management of happening in their environment to ensure better for the future for all”.

A student, Chukwunweike Charles, said he identify with the club in line with the activities and objectives of NEMA in order to learn how to prevent disasters and to save life during fire, flood disasters among others.