THE Senate on Tuesday has directed its Committees on Special Duties, Ecology and Climate Change and Environment to investigate the effectiveness of the National Emergency Management Agency over disaster response in 2019.
The directive follows the implementation of a response programme for the flood disaster that affected various communities in Demsa, Numa, Guyuk and Lamurde Local Governments of Adamawa State.
Senator Binos Yaroe (APC, Adamawa South) moved a motion to have NEMA investigated.
According to him, the agency has been selective in its disaster response intervention which goes against the Act 50 of the 1999 constitution that established NEMA.
“NEMA performed a disaster response action by distributing relief materials to communities in Furore, Yola South, Yola North and Girei Local Governments of Adamawa State affected by the floods.
“This intervention by NEMA was not extended to other local governments in Adamawa State along the River Benue valley equally affected by the flood disaster.
“Although the attention of the Director-General of NEMA was drawn to the need to provide relief materials to communities of the four local governments in Adamawa State severely affected by the October floods, nothing has been done; and NEMA would appear to be selective in its disaster response interventions,” Yaroe said.
Senate to investigate NEMA over 'selective' disaster response… https://t.co/VaXgO0sINr pic.twitter.com/h7Hl3PBNWD
— National Assembly (@nassnigeria) November 19, 2019
Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday has also considered a Bill for an Act to amend the National Council on Public Procurement and Bureau of Public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007.
The bill sponsored by Senator Abdullahi Sankara is among the three bills up for amendment of the Public Procurement Act by the National Assembly.
According to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, an amendment to the Public Procurement Act would ensure a successful implementation of the 2020 budget when passed into law by the National Assembly.
This development comes also as President Muhammadu Buhari at the National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in Public Sector told the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate contractors and government collaborators who have been receiving funds for constituency projects that till date remain incomplete.
“N1tn has been appropriated in the last 10 years for constituency projects, but the impact can hardly be seen,” the president said at the State House Conference Centre Tuesday in Abuja.