ActionAid Nigeria has appealed to the federal and state governments to ensure transparency and accountability, as they give out emergency relief funds and materials to the concerned, in a view to reduce incident of corruption in the process.
The manager, Human Security in Conflict and Management with the ActionAid, Mr Olugbenro Olajuyigbe said this at a one-day emergency preparedness training organised for stakeholders in Lokoja.
The training that was organised by the ActionAid in collaboration with a Kogi-based NGO, Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development, PIBCID, noted that fiscal accountability on behalf of donors and recipients was key in disaster management, stressing that the absence of accountability and transparency in the disbursement processes remained the bane of emergency management in country.
Olajuyigbe noted that the hues and cries over alleged diversion of relief materials and funds, especially in the last flooding in the state had created credibility problems between the donors and recipients in government officials managing emergencies in the country.
The ActionAid boss also implored the governments to empower their emergency management agencies in order to be pro-active and make budgetary provisions for disaster and to avoid being caught napping.
According to him, disaster, in any form, do not have respect for national boundaries and could strike without warning, saying that with adequate responsibility framework in place, its impact could be reduced.
However, he noted that some disasters occurred as a result of failure of government and bodies to take certain pro-active measures, stressing that government should not consider giving relief to displaced persons as a favour.
In his remarks, Mr Victor Adejoh, programme manager of PIBCID disclosed that the training workshop was organised to equip participants with skills to respond promptly and accurately to emergency situations.