Ihedioha’s vision on environmental management will mitigate disaster in Imo — NEMA

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has said Gov. Emeka Ihedioha’s vision and policies on environmental management will mitigate emergency occurrences in Imo.
Mr Evans Ugoh, the Head of Imo/Abia Operations Office of NEMA, said this on Monday during a Disaster Management Stakeholders workshop organised by the agency in Owerri.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Emeka Ihedioha had during this year’s World Environment Day celebration announced a ban of dredging activities at Nworie River.
Ihedioha also promised to bring back the state natural ecosystem as well as ensure that the state would become the cleanest in Nigeria.
Addressing the stakeholders at the workshop, Ugoh said the governor’s ban formed part of the proactive measures to mitigate emergency in the state.
He further said that Imo was at the risk of a landslide but for the intervention of the governor.
He decried the indiscriminate siting of gas stations within residential areas in the metropolis, describing it as a “time bomb waiting to explode.”
Ugoh said the disaster management stakeholders decided to embark on a sensitisation roadwark to educate the public on the dangers associated with the gas stations.
He said the stakeholders in their last meeting proposed to send a memo to Imo State House of Assembly to enact a law prohibiting building of gas stations within residential areas.
He said a Trauma Center was also proposed by the stakeholders to be established in Imo.
Ugoh further said that the group was seeking for a stronger partnership with construction companies operating in Imo.
The stakeholders in the meeting included representatives of Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, Fire Service, Nigerian Army.
The theme of the workshop is “Implementing modalities for next level Emergency Management in Imo/Abia.”