The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) have strengthened collaboration on emergency preparedness and response as Nigeria advances its National Nuclear Power Programme (NNPP).
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, gave the assurance when she received the Chairman of NAEC, Dr Anthony Ekedegwa, who led a delegation on a working visit to NEMA Headquarters in Abuja.
Umar said NEMA remained committed to working with NAEC to ensure adequate preparedness and response mechanisms for nuclear and radiological emergencies.
She said, “NEMA will continue to collaborate with NAEC to ensure emergency preparedness and response mechanisms for nuclear and radiological emergencies in line with the mandate of the Agency.”
The NEMA Director-General also assured the delegation of the Agency’s support for Nigeria’s preparations for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) Phase 2 Mission.
Earlier, Ekedegwa said the visit was aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two agencies as Nigeria progresses with its nuclear power programme.
He said, “The visit is informed by NEMA’s strategic role in national emergency management and the need to deepen collaboration as Nigeria progresses with its Nuclear Power Programme.”
The NAEC Chairman said the engagement also provided an opportunity to strengthen inter-agency cooperation and ensure that emergency management considerations remained part of the programme’s development.
He requested NEMA’s active participation in the review and update of the Site Evaluation Report (SER), describing it as part of ongoing efforts to advance the nuclear power programme.
Ekedegwa said the collaboration between both agencies was important to ensuring that appropriate emergency preparedness and response arrangements were in place as Nigeria moves forward with the programme.
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of NEMA and NAEC to effective inter-agency collaboration and the development of appropriate emergency preparedness measures to support the safe implementation of Nigeria’s National Nuclear Power Programme.