Daji Sani in Yola
Adamawa State has commenced a five-day multi-hazard risk assessment workshop to identify and prioritize threats to public health and safety, with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, (NCDC), and funding from the United States government.
The opening ceremony was held Saturday and was attended by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Hon. Chubado Mohammed Jada, senior officials of NCDC, and stakeholders from across the state.
A UNICEF representative, Dr Eghe Abe, Health Specialist, UNICEF Nigeria, said the grant is aimed at helping Adamawa State to map out multiple hazards that occur from time to time and determine which ones require urgent state response to protect citizens.
“We are supporting Adamawa State to have its own multi-hazard risk assessment document. With that kind of plan, they will know where the hazards are occurring and when they are likely to occur,” the official stated.
He explained that the exercise will enable the state to plan appropriate responses and reduce preventable deaths.
“That will also mitigate the need for people dying unnecessarily,” he added.
The NCDC is serving as a major facilitator for the training, drawing on a national multi-hazard risk assessment document and its technical experience.
Key partners listed include the U.S. government as funder, UNICEF Nigeria, the Adamawa State Ministry of Health, and NCDC. Other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and state agencies working in Adamawa are also involved.
Abe said hazards being considered cut across biological, environmental and conflict-related risks.
These include cholera, measles, meningitis, mpox, flooding, erosion, communal conflict, and chemical hazards such as lead and cyanide poisoning.
“The state will identify the hazards and prioritize them. It is not imposed. At the end of the day, it is what the state has said: these are our problems,” the UNICEF official said.
Adamawa State Epidemiologist, Kadabiyu Jones, confirmed that the goal is to produce a state-owned document that will guide early prediction and action against risks affecting citizens, from disease outbreaks to insecurity and flooding.
He said participants were drawn from multiple sectors, including the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency, Ministries of Water Resources and Environment, and security agencies such as the Nigerian Army, Police and DSS, to ensure diverse input.
According to him, once the document is finalized, it will give a clear view of existing risks and how to respond before they cause havoc.
He noted that Adamawa has been placed on “high risk” by Nigeria due to its nine LGAs bordering Cameroon and high cross-border movement, especially with Ebola reported in DRC and Uganda, though no case has been recorded in the state.
