The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Tuesday convened disaster management stakeholders in Kaduna to review emergencies recorded in 2025 and strengthen preventive measures across the state.

The head of operations, NEMA Kaduna Office, Suleiman Muhammad, said the meeting was aimed at assessing progress made, identifying gaps, and developing coordinated strategies to improve disaster response and public safety.

Muhammad said disaster management had shifted from reactive response to proactive risk reduction, with greater focus on early warning, preparedness, and multi-agency coordination.

According to him, the engagement followed seasonal predictions issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), which highlighted potential flooding and other emergencies across Kaduna State.

He said flooding affected Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Zaria, and Sanga Local Government Areas in 2025, but coordinated action by NEMA, the State Emergency Management Agency, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the Federal Fire Service, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) helped contain the damage.

Muhammad added that public sensitisation campaigns and practical simulations of tanker accidents had strengthened community awareness and emergency response capacity.

Also speaking, Akhaine Michael, Head of Disaster Management Unit at the NSCDC Kaduna Command, said tanker accidents remained a major safety concern due to fuel spills on highways.
He noted that the corps supports NEMA through evacuation, crowd control, and protection of lives and property during emergencies.

Similarly, Rahama Suleiman, Head of Environment, Climate and Energy at the National Orientation Agency Kaduna State Directorate, said the agency complements NEMA’s efforts through grassroots sensitisation and media engagement.

She said the outcomes of the engagement would be cascaded to field officers to strengthen awareness and preparedness in communities across the state.