The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has inaugurated a geospatial centre in Abuja aimed at providing early warning signals against disasters across Nigeria.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, unveiled the centre during its commissioning at the NEMA Headquarters in Abuja. Ahmed emphasized the critical importance of the geospatial centre in facilitating learning, research, planning, prevention, preparedness, and response to disasters.
“This is one of the ground-breaking achievements of the administration of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR in the area of Information Technology and efforts to curtail adverse effects of natural hazards on the entire citizenry of Nigeria and their properties,” stated Ahmed.
He further highlighted the versatility of the centre in aiding decision-making processes throughout all phases of emergency management, including preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Ahmed emphasized the role of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology in integrating data from various sources to provide real-time insights and support for disaster management activities.
Mrs. Funmi Obola, Head of the NEMA GIS Unit, provided insights into the functionality of the geospatial centre, explaining its role in collecting, storing, analyzing, and displaying geo-referenced disaster data. She highlighted its significance in aiding efficient decision-making, planning, search and rescue operations, as well as humanitarian interventions.
The establishment of the NEMA Geo Spatial Centre marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s disaster risk management efforts. Originally established as the NEMA GIS Laboratory in 2006, the centre has evolved to strengthen the agency’s capacity in humanitarian operations, shifting focus from relief intervention to disaster risk management.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, officially commissioned the geospatial centre, urging NEMA and its partner agencies to maximize the facility’s capabilities to enhance service delivery to the nation.
The launch of the geospatial centre represents a proactive step towards leveraging technology to mitigate the impact of disasters and safeguard the lives and properties of Nigerian citizens.
