The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to enhance Nigeria’s capacity for coordinated disaster response and public health management.
This renewed partnership aims to integrate health-related interventions into disaster management frameworks, improving prevention, preparedness, and humanitarian support for vulnerable populations nationwide.
The commitment was made by the Director General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, when she received the Director General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, and her management team on a courtesy visit to NEMA Headquarters in Abuja.
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Both agencies, established around the same period with complementary mandates, explored areas of synergy between disaster management and HIV/AIDS control — particularly in community engagement, prevention, and humanitarian response.
In her remarks, Mrs. Umar commended NACA’s efforts in tackling HIV/AIDS and described the visit as strategic and timely. She noted that both agencies share similar coordination roles and emphasized the importance of collaboration in strengthening national resilience and improving community-level interventions.
“We are both coordinating agencies. NACA focuses on HIV/AIDS, while NEMA coordinates disaster management. The link between health crises and disaster management is undeniable, and this partnership will help us respond better to vulnerable populations,” she said.
The NEMA DG stressed the need for joint efforts in prevention and data sharing, especially in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps where public health risks are heightened. She expressed interest in incorporating HIV prevention materials into NEMA’s humanitarian kits and awareness campaigns.
Mrs. Umar also welcomed NACA’s proposal for joint training and capacity-building, highlighting that such initiatives would strengthen the competence and sensitivity of emergency responders when dealing with persons living with HIV.
Earlier, Dr. Ilori commended NEMA for its leadership in national emergency coordination, explaining that the visit sought to deepen collaboration on integrating HIV/AIDS considerations into disaster management.
She noted that about two million Nigerians are currently living with HIV and underscored the need for partnerships that ensure vulnerable populations — particularly those in disaster-prone areas and displacement camps — are not left behind.
Both agencies agreed to pursue structured cooperation in areas such as public awareness, preventive health education, and integration of health protection strategies into emergency response operations.
The visit concluded with an exchange of souvenirs and group photographs, symbolizing the beginning of a renewed partnership between the two national coordinating bodies.
