Against the backdrop of prediction of heavy rainfall by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has charged corps members undertaking their service in Kwara to sensitize the communities they serve to be proactive against heavy rainfall and flooding.

The Zonal Coordinator of the Abuja NEMA operations office, Mr. Isaiah Isah Chonoko said at a training programme on emergency and disaster management for members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) Emergency Management Vanguard that such sensitisation would assist in avoiding the reoccurrence of last year’s flood.

The training held in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital had in attendance representatives of the Nigeria Red Cross, fire fighters and the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) who trained the corps members on pragmatic ways to manage disasters.

Chonoko represented by a Planning Officer, Mr. Babatunde Reuben Shola noted that disaster loss is on the rise with grave consequences for survival, dignity and livelihood of individuals and communities, charging the corps members to be at the vanguard of awareness campaign, saying, “You are the eye of the community in your place of primary assignment.

“The knowledge acquired today will first help you in the event of any emergency and also enable you to render help to others. Last year, there was flood and many people were affected.

“With NIMET predictions of a likely flood in 2013, it is expected that you will become effective vanguards in creating the needed awareness on what communities should do before, during and after the floods as may be the case in other disasters,” he said.    

He added, “The NEMA/NYSC Emergency Management Vanguard project is aimed at using NYSC corps members as vanguards for a uniform proactive disaster management nationwide. Rural communities are most affected when disasters occur because they are more vulnerable and do not have adequate coping capacity.”

A representative of Red Cross, Dr. Olanrewaju Oniyangi stressed the importance of safety which he said was a planned programme towards unforeseen circumstances which must be planned against.

He advised the corps members to be sympathetic, gentle, observant, tactful, resourceful and tolerant in their response to disaster.