News | ANA President Calls For A Rethink On Natural Disaster Management In Nigeria

The President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr. Denja Abdullahi, has called on the governments at all levels and Stakeholders in environmental management to begin to explore innovative and creative dynamics to fight recurring natural disasters in the country.

Reacting to the recent flood disaster in Makurdi, Benue state that claimed lives and destroyed properties and farmlands, the ANA President in a Press Statement called on the government and stakeholders to pay serious attention to climate change in the country and work beyond the usual policy document.

According to him, “It is also the position of the Association that serious attention should be given to climate change issues in our society beyond the usual policy document”.

The ANA President charged Nigerian creative writers to engage their skills, books and other creative works to articulate issues of the environment and climate change in order to aid the public awareness effort of the government, while also enjoining the government and the organised private sector to support the effort to reinvigorate and bring back into the scheme of ANA awards the literary prizes on environmental writing previously sponsored by Chevron and the NDDC  which were later discontinued by these organizations.

Mr. Abdullahi also charged the authorities to equip Nigeria’s educational institutions with personnel, facilities and statutory support to enhance teaching and learning of climate change and environmental sustainability from the perspective and diversity of the different disciplines of the arts, culture, sciences and technology with ample reference to the existing indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in Nigerian communities.

While expressing the association’s condolences with the victims, as well as the government and people of Benue State over the disaster, Mr. Abdullahi observed that it is yet another pointer of threats to sustainable development and better livelihood not only in Benue State but in the entire country.

He observed that, there is “the need to envision a framework and strategy for disaster management in the country should look beyond the existing governmental Agencies and integrate expert knowledge, experience and tools from a wide spectrum of stakeholders in the public, private sectors, academia, non-governmental organizations, policy makers, military and paramilitary services, nationally and internationally.

Mr. Abdullahi was of the view that the frequency of similar disasters in other parts of the country should provide the country with sufficient data and model for effective future management of disasters of this nature. This therefore necessitates the need to adopt multidisciplinary measures and expertise to confront.

He called on well meaning Nigerians to assist the victims with relief materials to cushion their hardship.