NEMA Director-General, Zubaida Umar with VC of ABU Zaria, Prof Adamu Ahmed, during the visit to NEMA headquarters in Abuja..on Monday
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening collaboration with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s disaster risk management architecture through research, innovation, capacity building and institutional resilience.
Director-General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, gave the assurance on Monday while receiving the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, who led the university’s management team on a courtesy visit to the Agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Mrs. Umar said the existing partnership between NEMA and ABU would be expanded to promote evidence-based disaster management and equip institutions with the knowledge and tools needed to respond effectively to emerging risks.
She stressed that collaboration with academic institutions remains indispensable to advancing research, innovation and policy development capable of strengthening national resilience in the face of increasingly complex disasters.
According to her, NEMA has continued to reposition disaster management in Nigeria by shifting greater attention from emergency response to disaster risk reduction through early warning systems, public awareness campaigns, preparedness and resilience-building initiatives.
- A group photograph by the Management teams of NEMA and ABU Zaria during the visit
She noted that the Agency has also intensified nationwide sensitisation programmes, strengthened collaboration with State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), and supported the establishment and effective functioning of Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs) to enhance community-based disaster risk management across the country.
The Director-General emphasised that effective disaster management begins at the grassroots, underscoring the strategic role of universities in promoting disaster risk education, climate resilience, environmental sustainability, emergency preparedness and institutional capacity development.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, commended Mrs. Umar for what he described as her exemplary leadership and the significant strides recorded by NEMA in disaster management and humanitarian coordination.
He described the NEMA Director-General as one of the university’s distinguished alumni whose professionalism, integrity and commitment to public service continue to bring honour to the institution.
Prof. Ahmed said the visit also provided an opportunity to appreciate NEMA’s longstanding support for the ABU Centre for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies, which has produced professionals now serving in disaster management institutions across Nigeria.
He expressed the university’s desire to deepen collaboration with the Agency in research, professional training and disaster risk reduction to address the growing challenges posed by climate change, rapid urbanisation and other emerging hazards.
The Vice-Chancellor also appealed to NEMA to support efforts aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness within the university, particularly in mitigating risks associated with ageing infrastructure, erosion, fire outbreaks and other potential hazards.
