The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has solicited for more support and stronger partnership with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in the management of disasters and enhancement of disaster risk reduction. The Director-General (DG) NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, made the request during a courtesy visit to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hasan Abubakar at the Headquarters NAF, Abuja. The DG stated that with the current growing rate of disaster occurrences and increasing level of its severity in the Country and across the world, it became imperative for NEMA to strengthen its partnership with the NAF.

Speaking further, Mustapha Ahmed noted that with the commencement of the rainy season characterized by annual floods and associated hazards, as predicted by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NEMA would require the support of the NAF in areas of search and rescue, transportation of personnel, equipment and other life-saving relief materials. “One of the reasons of our visit today is, therefore, to remind the Chief of the Air Staff and his indefatigable team that we at NEMA will continue to count on your support during sudden onset of disasters and emergencies”, he said. While congratulating the CAS for his appointment, the DG noted that the NAF with its airlift capabilities remains a key enabler in search and rescue operation, medical evacuation and air-dropping of relief materials to inaccessible locations during emergency and disasters.

In his remarks, the CAS stated that the NAF would continue to support NEMA as part of its constitutional responsibilities of providing Military Aid to Civil Authority to enable it achieve its mandate. Recalling past joint collaborative exercises, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar noted that the NAF, with 22 Disaster Response Units across the Nation, has had a very close working relationship with NEMA which must be sustained. He also disclosed that the NAF in 2022 signed a memorandum of understanding with NEMA to further cement and boost its working partnership which is indicative of the cordiality of the relationship.

The DG NEMA was accompanied by Director of Relief and Rehabilitation, Alhassan Nuhu, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction, Daniel Obot and the Deputy Director Operations Bashir Garga. On the NAF side were the Chief of Operations, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Abdulkadir and the Director of Policy, Air Vice Marshal Nanjul Kumzhi.