Nigeria: NEMA institutes scholarship award for corpers in disaster management
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has instituted scholarship scheme for best deserving corps members who contribute to public awareness or volunteer in disaster management in the country just as it establishes a department for volunteerism to coordinate and supports activities of volunteer groups in the country .
The Director General of the agency, AVM Mohammed Audu-Bida (rtd) disclosed this (Friday June 5, 2009) at presentation of a book title “Ten Common Disasters in Nigeria” written by a corps member, Miss Saadatu Ovosi.
Audu-Bida further said the corps members who would be assessed on their contributions in their places of assignment and host communities during the service year would receive the scholarship for postgraduate programme preferable in disaster management programme that would be offered in six approved federal universities.
He added that the agency was overwhelmed by interest shown by corps members in disaster risk reduction through Emergency Management Vanguard (EMV), a scheme introduced by NEMA in collaboration with National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). He noted the sacrifice of corpers during crises and their various sensitization campaigns and volunteering during outbreak of disasters in some parts of the country.
He praised Miss Saadatu Ovosi for contributing to public awareness campaign on disaster preventions especially after written over 10 features articles published in several Nigeria national dailies on social and environmental issues in the country. He assured that the booklet would be distributed to all response agencies, schools, libraries and NYSC camps.
In her remarks, the writer, Saadatu Ovosi said her book highlights the causes and preventive measure against common disasters in Nigeria which included: Fire, road accident, building collapse, epidemic, communal classes, landslide, desertification and erosion, windstorm, flooding and earthquake.
A graduate of Mass-Communication from University of Maiduguri, Ovosi said she was encouraged to undertake the projects because of the passion she had on the new thinking on disaster risk reduction (DRR) having benefitted from various literatures in NEMA and her active participation in Emergency Management Vanguard of NYSC. She also expressed gratitude to Nigeria media who have published her syndicated articles that had appeared in most national dailies including Champion, Compass, Guardian, Independent, Leadership, Nation, New Nigerian, Punch, Sun, Thisday, Tribune, Trust Vanguard, amongst others.
The book presentation at the NEMA’Office was witnessed by officials from NEMA, Police, Fire Service, Road Safety, Civil Defence, University of Abuja and Federal Ministry of Information Abuja.
The National Emergency Management Agency is spearheading the creation of volunteer groups in the country So far more it has mobilised and registered 20,000 Nigerians for its Grassroots Emergency Management Volunteers (GEMV), Emergency Management Vanguard (EMV) of NYSC, and the latest Executive Management Volunteers (EMV) for senior officers in public and private sectors which would be launched soon.
Yushau A. Shuaib
Head of Press and Public Relations
GSM: 0803-5555-999