By Chris Alu
A bill seeking to address climate change adaptation, drought, desertification, flooding, coastal erosion, dam failure, building collapse, oil spills, among others has passed the second reading in the House of Representatives.
The Bill presents a practical step towards transforming the nation’s emergency and disaster management response framework.
Also, the emergency and disaster response mechanism contemplated by this Bill is an important legislative response which meets the demands of Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution.
The proposed legislation titled, “Bill for an Act to Repeal the National Emergency Management Agency Act, Cap. N34, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and Enact the National Emergency Management Agency Bill and for Related Matters,” was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Okezie Kalu,. Babajimi Benson and 5 others.
Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, one of the co-sponsors, Amobi Ogah said while the NEMA Act provides a solid foundation for disaster management, it lacks provisions for addressing critical issues such as climate change adaptation, amongst others.
Ogah stated: “The National Emergency Management Agency (Establishment) Act of 1999 elaborately provided for the establishment, functions and governance structure of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) making it the central body for disaster management in Nigeria with State Agencies supporting its mandate at the State level.
“While the Act provides a solid foundation for disaster management, it lacks provisions for addressing critical issues such as climate change adaptation and resilience, digital transformation initiatives, drought, desertification, flooding, coastal erosion, dam failure, building collapse, oil spills, road accidents, bomb explosions.”
Ogah stressed that the Bill, therefore, seeks to establish a framework that would address the mentioned critical issues and a well establish a self-sustaining alternative funding mechanism beyond the funding mechanism under the extant Act.
He added: “NEMA will be repositioned through this Bill to ensure climate adaptation and resilience in today’s world of complex disaster management.
“This reform will also ensure that NEMA disaster risk reduction strategy is aligned with international best practices. This will also transform NEMA into a stronger coordination authority.”
Ogah added that when the bill becomes law, NEMA would be repositioned to ensure climate adaptation and resilience in today’s world of complex disaster management.
FG plans database for local farmers to boost food security
The Federal Government is set to commence the collation of farmers database across the country for accurate implementation of agriculture policies, and planning.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Digital Village Initiative (DVI) workshop yesterday at Ikeja, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the collation of the farmers’ database is targeted at weeding out fake farmers as beneficiaries of government intervention in the agriculture sector.
Kyari said as part of the government’s effort to imbibe the DVI, it would be carrying out a pilot scheme of the data in Nasarawa state before adopting it nationwide.
“It is indeed noteworthy that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security under my leadership have taken a pragmatic step to leverage technological solutions and available biometric data for the identification, enumeration and documentation of authentic farmers and the available farm lands.
“We are pioneering the use of the National identification Number to authenticate the Nigeria’s farmers registers by working in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
“We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the NIMC on this project and we are moving forward to do a pilot in Nasarawa state.
“I am resolute to deliver a world class farmers identity management system to the Nigeria’s agricultural sector as a critical component of the primary data required for planning and implementation of various interventions at national and sub-national levels,” Kyari said.
The minister also reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment in providing technology driven agriculture in partnership with the FAO for food sustainability
“ It is exciting to note that this project aligns perfectly with the expected outcomes of the FAO DVI.
“The complimentary solution is to use the geo-spatial technologies for the geo-referencing of the farms, construct their virtual fences and do the geo-tagging of the farmers to their farmlands.
“Digital agriculture holds immense potential for transforming Nigeria’s agricultural sector, improving food security, and boosting economic growth.
“By embracing technological innovations and addressing existing challenges, Nigeria can pave the way for a more sustainable and prosperous agricultural future
“Let me assure you that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is fully committed to driving this digital transformation agenda in the agricultural and food security space.
“We recognise that technology is not a luxury; it is a necessity if we are to feed our growing population and meet the targets of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals,” the minister said.
He, however, urged a collection responsibility in achieving a viable agriculture sector by all stakeholders.
“We have a collective responsibility of delivery of technological tools to the hands of our farmers.
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the FAO for their technical support and leadership in this initiative.
“We count on your continued partnership as we embark on this journey to build smart, resilient, and productive digital villages across Nigeria.
“Together, we can transform agriculture from subsistence to sustainability, from isolation to integration, and from vulnerability to value,” he said.