Worried by the incessant incidence of collapse of buildings in the country, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has acquired excavators for quick responses in the removal of rubbles and rescue of trapped victims.

NEMA Director General, Muhammad Sani Sidi, made this disclosure when he received a delegation from the International Federation of Surveyors that visited the NEMA headquarters in Abuja.

He said the excavators would be stationed in the major cities with frequent incidents of building collapse to be deployed along with other specialised equipment such as life locator, search cameras and concrete cutters.

The NEMA DG requested the support of professional organisations including that of the surveyors to adopt disaster risk reduction in their codes of practices in line with the global paradigm shift to tackle the increasing complexity of natural and human-induced emergencies. This, he said would, ensure sustainable collaboration among the professionals and other stakeholders in the areas of emergency preparedness, mitigation and response.

Sani Sidi tasked the surveyors to assist in proper delineation and documentation of land borders to reduce communal conflicts and unnecessary loss of lives and property. He also called on the surveyors to partner with town planners and environmental protection authorities for sustainable land use planning and environmental management in the country.

“In the recent past we have recorded series of crises in form of communal conflicts arising from boundary disputes between hitherto peacefully co-existing groups of people across Nigeria. These are occasioned by disagreement between individuals and communities over land boarder delineation,” the NEMA DG noted.

Leader of the delegation, Mr. Edward Amupitan, said they were in the Agency on technical visit in recognition of its important role as the rallying point on disaster management which is very important in national development. The visit was said to be part of activities for the international conference of the Surveyors that holds in Abuja.

•Photo shows a collapsed building.

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