The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders have emphasised the critical need to strengthen humanitarian services coordination in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states.
UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office, Mr Michael Juma, made the remark in a validation workshop jointly organised by the Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States with support from UNICEF on Friday in Sokoto.
The Newsmen reports that the events Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) validation meeting was aimed at strengthening and streamlining the coordination of humanitarian responses to emergencies across the three states.
Juma said the exercise marked a significant step towards faster, more efficient disaster response in the region and emphasized the need for more partnerships among agencies.
He described the SOP as a practical step-by-step guide for all humanitarian actors, ensuring clarity from the first trigger of an emergency to final deactivation.
” It begins with emergency trigger and notification, clearly identifying lead agencies, activation triggers and alert mechanisms. Search and Rescue arrangements follows, covering search and rescue team mobilization, evacuation protocols and public communication, ” Juma said.
Speaking also, Mr Olayinka Afolabi, the UNICEF Emergency Specialist said SOP entailed that once an emergency incident is confirmed, coordination structures were activated through establishing the state emergency operation centre and multi-sectoral coordination.
Afolabi said the joint rapid need assessment phase sets timelines, priorities and responsibilities timely and accurate data collection.
He explained that flowing steps included response and operational planning stage to look at sectoral priorities and mobilize stocks while the next stage of implementation and service delivery easy and successful.
He called on participants to always ensure that response is appropriately monitored to track the progress made and gather feedbacks and also ensure that regular public information is given at intervals via situation report of the incident to the people.
In his remarks, the Head, NEMA, Sokoto Operations Office, Aliyu Shehu Kafindangi, thanked all the participants and particularly UNICEF for the support and urged the stakeholders to be committed to the SOP to ensure it successful implementation.
Kafindangi who was represented by the Head of Planning Unit, Mr Tukur Abubakar, said through the participatory discussions, stakeholders mapped institutional roles and streamlined communication channels.
He added that participants have agreed on the designed operational workflows for different emergency scenarios, outcomes for improved clarity of roles as well as stronger interagency linkages.
” The developed draft SOP have reflected on the ground realities, developed respond to emergencies like cholera, crises and flood.
” This is coming at a time that stakeholders in disaster management described as timely due to the flood that is already affecting many communities, ” he said.
Newsmen reports that participants were drawn from Federal and State Fire service, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) from Sokoto Kebbi and Zamfara States, NGOs, Nigeria Police Force, Disaster Response Units of the Nigeria Army, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Ministries of Health and Agriculture from the three states.
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