By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – EXPRESSING concern over coordination of emergency response operations during disasters, the military, para-military, hospitals, and Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, Wednesday, resolved to boost synergy to improve response time and rescue to safe lives involved in disasters.

They made the pledge at a ‘Road Safety & Emergency Response Stakeholders Forum’ organised by the Lifeline Care Association made up of Road Safety and Emergency Response Stakeholders’ Forum, ROSERS, in Abuja, with the theme ‘Collaboration and Stakeholder Management Systems Within the Nation’s Emergency Response Sector (An Appraisal)’, and it is the seventh meeting.

In an address of welcome, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Shehu Mohammed, represented by
the Assistant Corps Marshal in charge of Special Duties and External Relations, FRSC, ACM Aliyu Bawa Datsama, described the gathering as necessary as the nation grapples with complex challenges as far as road traffic crashes, natural disasters and security-related emergencies are concerned.

In attendance was the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Customs Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Federal Fire Service, Directorate of Road Traffic Service, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Stanley Jegede Foundation, and Lifeline Care,

Mohammed said: “This gathering is not only timely—it is also necessary and important. At a time when the nation faces complex challenges ranging from road traffic crashes to natural disasters and security-related emergencies, a coordinated, collaborative, and efficient stakeholder management system is no longer optional but a necessity.

“The theme of this forum,
‘Collaboration and Stakeholder Management Systems Within the Nation’s Emergency Response Sector (An Appraisal)’, invites us to critically examine how far we have come in synergizing our roles, how well our institutions complement each other, and what gaps still remain in our collective preparedness, response, and recovery mechanisms.

“Emergency response is, by its nature, multi-agency. No single organization, no matter how well-funded or trained, can handle emergencies alone. Road safety incidents, for example, often require the combined effort of traffic enforcement agencies, health services, fire and rescue units, disaster management authorities, and even community-based organizations.

“Therefore, the strength of our system lies not in isolated efficiency, but in our ability to work seamlessly as one.This forum is an opportunity to deepen our shared understanding, forge stronger partnerships, and explore innovative systems for managing stakeholders—from incident command structures to communication protocols, from data sharing to joint simulation exercises.

“As we begin today’s deliberations, I urge us all to be open, bold, and solution-driven. Let us appraise with sincerity, learn from best practices, and commit to transforming our insights into policies, tools, and frameworks that will enhance our collective capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies across the country.”

In a welcome remark, the Director General, National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Abubakar, represented by Chief Search And Rescue Officer, Atabo Daniel, said, “All hands must be on deck to key into the FRSC zero tolerance to Road Traffic Crashes, RTC, in Nigeria.

“This can also be achieved together through capacity building, sensitization and awareness creations, drills, Simulation Exercises, SIMEX, and adherence to traffic rules and regulations.”

In another remark, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, represented by Navy Captain Abusi noted that the need for emergency response agencies need to work together to rapidly respond to emergencies.

“In our collective efforts to build a responsive and resilient emergency management architecture, collaboration remains the linchpin. No single agency or institution can address the complexities of modern emergencies in isolation.

“A unified, well-coordinated approach anchored on shared responsibility is essential. The Defense Headquarters has consistently championed civil-military relations as a vital pillar in Nigeria’s emergency framework through the deployment of military assets for search and rescue operations, medical evacuations, logistic support, and humanitarian assistance.

“During the crisis, the Air Force has demonstrated commitment to national emergency response efforts. The Chief of Defense Staff reaffirms the readiness of the Defense Headquarters to strengthen interagency collaboration, enhance information sharing, and contribute to the development of robust management systems that can withstand the pressures of evolving security and disaster landscapes”, Gen Musa said.

The Chief Medical Director, CMD, National Hospital, Prof Raji Mahmud, represented by the Coordinator, National Trauma Centre, NTC, Dr Usman Gwarahim, said, “A lot of developments and things are happening, some of them exciting, some of them challenging, in the emergency services climate in the country.

“The National Trauma Center, under the National Hospital Abuja, is one of such developments of recent, where there is a complete arrangement of infrastructure, staffing, protocols and procedures to take care of only the injured patients, so that we would have better outcomes, just like it happens in advanced climes.

“In addition, currently, one of the things to improve the outcome is getting the patients in a timely manner. The National Emergency Management and Ambulance Services has come on board, trying to get patients at a faster pace. Responders like the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, and other providers, they are doing their best, because currently even the services of the road safety has been expanded to just not crash victims, but to include other emergencies, medical emergencies, and other things, so that we get patients in a timely fashion.

“This programme is one of such developments that we are excited about, because it brought together experts from different response sections, so that through the coordination of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, we can have a dedicated system-wide emergency response system in case of disasters, mass casualties, or even individual crashes.

“So it brought together road safety, fire service, medical practitioners, the military, and others, the National Emergency Management Agency. So what we are hoping in the next phase of this development is for us to have drills, so that we train ourselves, and then this system is going to be well-oiled, so that our patients are going to have the best in cases of disasters that have been happening, to prevent them, and then when it does happen, for the best outcome for our patients.”

Meanwhile, the Project manager, Lifeline Care, Omasan Imogu, explained the essence of the meeting, which he said is to basically deepen collaboration among sister agencies.

“We want to deepen collaboration among sister agencies, with both Road Safety and NEMA taking the lead. Why? Because there is a saying that if you run alone, you run fast. But if you run together, you run far.

“So we want sustained efficiency in our emergency response services, and that’s why we are doing this. Everybody, all the agencies and organizations have skills, have operational competencies. So when we coerce this together, then we will achieve the kind of emergency response efficiency that we see in other clients, which we want to bring here too.

“And we are happy with the response. The military here, para-military, almost all the agencies are here, and even civil society groups because when accidents happen, or emergencies come up, disasters, you don’t know who will get there first, and even getting there is one thing, and mobilizing other resources, skills and resources, is based on already existing cooperative partnerships, collaboration.

“So that’s what this meeting seeks to deepen.We are going to have a technical committee that will look at what we have achieved today, with a view to driving those goals going forward into action”, Imogu added.