Senate to investigate NEMA over 'selective' disaster response

President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, arriving the upper chamber for the plenary on Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Senate has directed its Committees on Special Duties, Ecology and Climate Change and Environment to investigate the effectiveness of the National Emergency Management Agency over disaster response in 2019.

This was even as the chamber directed the NEMA to immediately implement a response programme for the flood disaster that affected various communities in Demsa, Numa, Guyuk and Lamurde Local Governments of Adamawa State.

These were resolutions reached on Tuesday sequel to the consideration of a motion sponsored by Senator Binos Yaroe (APC, Adamawa South).

According to Yaroe, NEMA was established by Act 50 of the 1999 constitution as amended for the purpose of managing disasters in Nigeria.

The lawmaker who lamented a major flooding which occurred in October 2019 as a result of release of excess water by the authorities of Lagbo dam in Cameroon, accused NEMA of being selective in its disaster response interventions.

“NEMA performed a disaster response action by distributing relief materials to communities in Furore, Yola South, Yola North and Girei Local Governments of Adamawa State affected by the floods.

“This intervention by NEMA was not extended to other local governments in Adamawa State along the River Benue valley equally affected by the flood disaster.

“Although the attention of the Director-General of NEMA was drawn to the need to provide relief materials to communities of the four local governments in Adamawa State severely affected by the October floods, nothing has been done; and NEMA would appear to be selective in its disaster response interventions,” Yaroe said.

Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday considered a Bill for an Act to amend the National Council on Public Procurement and Bureau of Public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007.

The bill which was sponsored by Senator Abdullahi Sankara is among the three bills up for amendment of the Public Procurement Act by the National Assembly.

According to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, an amendment to the Public Procurement Act would ensure a successful implementation of the 2020 budget when passed into law by the National Assembly.

The Public Procurement bill sponsored by Senator Sankara was referred to the Senate Committee on Public Procurement for further legislative work.