Economic Confidential, June 28, 2009

NEWS

NEMA Advocates Insurance Cover… Partners with NICON

…. As Refugees Commission Donates Skills Centre in Akwa-Ibom

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advocated the importance of Insurance Cover for traders and small business for quick recovery after natural and man-indicused disasters, especially against market fire, floods and building collapse.

This advocacy was made at the inauguration of Grassroot Emergency Volunteer Corps in Ikom Local Government area of Cross River State at the weekend (June 26, 2009) by the Director General of NEMA, AVM Mohammed Audu-Bida (rtd).

The NEMA boss who was represented by Director of Finance and Account of the agency, Mr. Benjamin Haahongon Achiatar said that over the years Nigerians have had to rely on share luck and providence to save them from disasters with little or no help coming from individuals and even rescue agencies which lack the capacity and wherewithal to intervene in such difficult moments and compensate victims.

According to Benjamin Achiatar disasters derail socio-economic progress, and put millions of people into dire poverty or make the poor even poorer. He emphasised that NEMA and state emergency agencies are not compensating agencies as they only provide relief assistance but do not offer compensation to victims. The assistance usually comes in form of relief materials to relieve victims from loses especially in the case of flood, building collapses and fire incidence this may not resuscitate livelihood.

He said NEMA is partnering with NICON Insurance, the largest insurance firm in Nigeria  to provide insurance cover for traders and owners of small businesses against fire and flood disasters so as to enable victims to recover their loses immediately after the incidence. Insurance cover can resuscitate livelihood. It is a public knowledge that the best fire fighting technique is prevention and the best strategy for recovery is insurance cover.

Mr. Achiatar said it is the responsibility of the market authorities to insure the markets while the traders insure their wares and properties. Through this, market authorities will receive claims to restore the market structure in earnest while the traders will use their claims to bounce back to business. This is the best recovery strategy from market fire disasters all over the world.

In his remark at the occasion, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Cross River State, Mr. Fidelis Ugbo said the need to systematically reduce the increased impact of disaster is steadily gaining recognition and commitment of government’s world wide. He therefore commended NEMA for establishing the Grassroots Emergency Management Corps throughout all the 774 local government councils in Nigeria and empowering them with the basic skills and knowledge of disaster management and risk reduction.

Meanwhile in another development the National Commission for Refugees has handed overaSkills Acquisition Centre established by the Commission for displaced persons in Ika Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State following the communal crisis in 2005.  Commissioning the Centre, the Federal Commissioner for Refugees, Hajiya Hadiza Sani Kangiwa, said the purpose for establishing the skills acquisition Centre was to serve as avenue for the displaced as well as the host community in providing skills as well as assist in income generation as part of the durable solution programme of the Commission. 

The Commissioner stated that after the commissioning, the National Commission for Refugees will hand over the Centre to the State SEMA, NGO Implementing Partner and the Welfare Committee of the displaced persons for the supervision and management and urged them to make good use of the Centre.  “We are here today in this town to register our presence and to identify ourselves with our persons of concern; the displaced. We are living witnesses to the unfortunate event that took place in this town in 2005 and its consequences. Information available to us revealed that as a result of the incident over 30,000 people were displaced, houses and social facilities were destroyed and businesses were lost” Kangiwa said. 

The Commissioner commended the Akwa Ibom State Government, Ika Local Government and other implementing partners for their support and co-operation throughout the process culminating into this occasion.  According to her, the National Commission for Refugees is an agency of the Federal Government, with mandate of managing the affairs of refugees, migration and internally displaced persons and providing a durable solution to their situations in Nigeria. Stressing that the Commission has since its inception in 1989 been caring for displaced persons in the Country and providing them with the opportunity to build their lives and contributing to their sustainable development.

The Commission has legal as well as moral responsibilities to lend a helping hand to those that have suffered displacement she added.  She further stressed that as part of the durable solution activities, the Commission has engaged in resettling people or Communities that were displaced as a result of conflict, border disputes, developmental activities or natural and man-made disasters by providing them with shelter, medical care, education as well as the establishment of skills acquisition Centres for income generation in the areas where displacement took place, saying that the Commission is currently present in about 12 States in the Six geo-political zones of the Country. 

Earlier, the Akwa-Ibom State Governor, Dr. Godwill Akpabio, , who was represented by his Special Adviser on Co-operative  Affairs, Barrister Saviour Udoh, admonished the people on the need for peace, saying it was the absence of peace that gave rise to the crisis in the first place “Crisis augur well for no society, and even after peace has been restored, the memory of losses suffered lingers” he said.  The Chairman of Ika Local Gevernment, Hon. Saviour Ibanga Enyieere said his people were very appreciative of the thoughtfulness of the National Commission for Refugees by bringing life-supporting programmes to the people of Ika in the areas of hair dressing, Barbing saloons, Vulcanizingand Computer businesses to complement the efforts of the local government.