…Says KADSEMA Has Replaced Fire-Brigade Style with a More Coordinated Disaster Response Strategy
A group under the aegis of Uba Sani Back2Back (USB2B) Movement has unveiled 10 major milestones it said have transformed disaster management in Kaduna State under the current administration declaring that the state has moved from a largely reactive approach to a modern system focused on prediction, prevention, rapid response and recovery.
Speaking at a press conference in Zaria on Tuesday, the movement’s Director of Strategic Communications, Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed, said the transformation through the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (KADSEMA) was one of the administration’s most important but least-publicised achievements.
She said the new approach was no longer simply about rushing to communities after floods, fires, accidents or other disasters had occurred, but about identifying risks early, preparing communities, positioning response assets and coordinating emergency intervention before situations spiral out of control.
She said the first pillar was multi-hazard risk mapping across 178 vulnerable locations. Explaining, she noted that KADSEMA had deployed spatial risk mapping to identify flood plains, drought-prone agricultural corridors and vulnerable settlements exposed to disaster risks, so that government is no longer operating blindly.
The second was the decentralisation of emergency response across all 23 Local Government Areas of the state. She said the administration had established response networks and focal points across the 23 LGAs, reducing dependence on Kaduna metropolis whenever emergencies occur in distant communities, particularly farming communities and hard-to-reach settlements where minutes can determine whether an emergency becomes a tragedy.
The third, she said, was the strengthening of 24/7 Emergency Coordination Centres which serve as command hubs for gathering field intelligence, monitoring emerging threats, receiving early warnings and coordinating emergency teams, instead of waiting for disaster reports to travel through several layers before action is taken.
According to her, the fourth was the integration of disaster management with emergency medical evacuation through the Kaduna State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (KADSEMSAS) and the Rural Emergency Service and Medical Ambulance Transportation (RESMAT). She said the system ensures that accident victims, disaster survivors and residents of rural communities can receive faster medical evacuation, because disaster response does not end when victims are rescued.
She declared as the fifth milestone of KADSEMA under Governor Uba Sani as the institutionalisation of disaster-risk management through the State Disaster Risk Management Policy, which moves preparedness beyond ad-hoc intervention by providing a framework for risk reduction, climate adaptation and emergency planning.
The sixth pillar of success, according to her, was the introduction of climate-shock responsive social protection, recognising that floods and droughts often leave families without homes, food and income long after the floodwater disappears.
She said the seventh milestone was the creation of a unified multi-agency tactical response structure that brings together first responders, medical personnel, search-and-rescue teams, security agencies, local volunteers and humanitarian partners, to eliminate institutional silos and improve response speed.
The eighth achievement of the administration, she added, was the deployment of community simulation drills and early-warning activation programmes involving schools, community leaders and residents. This, she noted, was to ensure communities understand what warnings mean and what action to take. She noted that early warning without early action is almost useless.
She said the ninth milestone was the strengthening of strategic partnerships with NEMA, federal emergency institutions and international humanitarian organisations to expand access to technical knowledge, emergency logistics and global disaster-risk reduction standards.
Hadiza disclosed that the tenth emergency disaster management success was the shift towards post-disaster rehabilitation and livelihood recovery, beyond the immediate distribution of food and shelter materials, to help affected families and farmers rebuild their livelihoods and return to normal life.
According to Hajiya Hadiza, the combination of 178 mapped risk locations, emergency response structures covering all 23 LGAs, central coordination centres, emergency medical evacuation, disaster-risk policy, climate-shock protection, multi-agency operations, community drills, strategic partnerships and post-disaster recovery represents a broader architecture for protecting lives and livelihoods.
She described the development as a quiet revolution that may not always make the front pages, but becomes priceless when disaster strikes.
“What Governor Uba Sani is building is not simply a relief-distribution mechanism. It is a system designed to predict danger, prevent avoidable losses, respond faster when emergencies occur and help victims recover afterwards,” she said.
