The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for stronger institutional coordination and preparedness among relevant stakeholders to ensure faster and more effective responses to flood disasters in Nigeria.
The National Project Management and Coordination Specialist for Nigeria under the UNDP Sahel Resilience Project, Dr. Sunday Andorbe Amama, made the call while delivering a goodwill message at the Full-Scale Simulation Exercise on Flood Disaster Response held in Benue State.
Amama, who represented the UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, said the simulation exercise provided an opportunity to strengthen disaster preparedness, enhance institutional coordination, validate emergency response mechanisms and improve collective readiness before, during and after flood emergencies.
He explained that the initiative, supported by the Government of Sweden under the UNDP Sahel Resilience Project, was being implemented in partnership with the Nigerian Government through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Benue State Government and the World Bank across selected states in Nigeria.
The UNDP Resident Representative commended Benue State for being selected to host the national exercise, describing it as a demonstration of the commitment of participating institutions to safeguarding lives, protecting livelihoods and building resilient communities.
Amama stressed that the knowledge and lessons generated from the simulation must be institutionalised and translated into practical actions during actual flood emergencies, noting that effective preparedness and response could save lives.
“Every lesson learned today will contribute to faster coordination, improved decision-making and more effective flood disaster response tomorrow,” he said.
Amama also commended NEMA for its leadership, technical professionalism and commitment to disaster preparedness, emergency response, recovery and resilience-building across Nigeria.
He gave the assurance that UNDP remained committed to supporting the Federal and State Governments through strategic partnerships, technical assistance, policy advisory services, capacity development, innovation and catalytic financing.
The UNDP official urged participants to actively engage in the exercise, share knowledge and utilise the simulation as a platform for learning, innovation and continuous improvement.
He expressed hope that the exercise would strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to anticipate risks, respond effectively, recover rapidly and build safer and more resilient communities in Benue State and Nigeria as a whole.
