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Examining Mustapha Habib Ahmed’s Scorecard at NEMA – Toni Kan

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Those who are appointed at the pleasure of the President, to sensitive and critical Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are offered a unique opportunity to make a mark in the polity by impacting positively on the citizenry and populace.

But public service is increasingly becoming a thankless job in Nigeria where it has now become the norm for political appointees to be hounded and demonized when they leave office.

This happens many times because there is always scant proof of performance. Nigerians are often confounded by what political appointees do or achieve while in office. The question that roils their minds, to borrow a leaf from the annual lawyer fest convened years ago by the late Efere Ozako, is – wetin government appointees dey do sef?

That is, however, one question very few would ask of Mustapha Habib Ahmed, the immediate past Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

Appointed to head the emergency agency on May 31st, 2021, Habib Ahmed sat in the saddle up until his handover to the incumbent Director General, Mrs. Zubaidah Umar who was appointed on March 15, 2024.

At the hand over-over ceremony on March 20, 2024, Mustapha Habib Ahmed displayed the same uncommon traits that have defined his tenure at NEMA with a proper and precise hand-over session to his successor.

‘Proper’ and ‘precise’ are two words that come to mind when you think of Mustapha Habib Ahmed, the multi-lingual business administration graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Born in Kaugama, Jigawa state in 1970, Ahmed studied at Federal Government College, Kaduna and Focus Tutorial College, Lagos before proceeding to ABU for his undergraduate degree.

An astute and successful businessman, his professional career saw him excel in communication and supply chain in engineering before rising to the position of Director of Finance and Administration at the Sealag Alliance Nigeria Ltd. He would later become the Managing Director of Rapid Engineering Company Limited both in Lagos.

His political sojourn was no less stellar with stints as Member Board of Trustees (BOT) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Member, Directorate of Logistics, APC Presidential Campaign Council, National Chairman of the Buhari Support Group, member of the Presidential Campaign Council in 2019 etc.

His appointment as the DG of NEMA was loudly applauded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) which noted that his appointment was more than a reward for party loyalty but a “recognition of selfless service to the country, attributes which clearly describe your persona. We trust in your capacity to acquit yourself creditably well in your new assignment.”

Skeptics may well have seen those words as mere platitudes issued by political colleagues but a consideration of Mustapha Habib Ahmed’s stewardship will show clearly that the businessman, technocrat and politician acquitted himself creditably over the course of his almost three year stint at NEMA.

Immediately after the hand-over, Habib Ahmed was joined by his successor and members of staff of NEMA for group photographs and farewell outside the brand new premises of NEMA. It was a telling moment because the building, which was hitherto abandoned for six years, was brought to completion by Habib Ahmed thus bringing all departments and units under the same roof.

But he did not just deliver a building; he delivered a world class disaster management facility boasting the very best amenities – Emergency Situation Room, GIS Laboratory, Nigeria Mission Control Centre (MCC) for tracking of distressed aircrafts and ships, Emergency Call Centre, Staff Clinic, and Library.

Speaker after speaker showered encomiums on the outgoing DG and from their tributes what came across was a man who led from the front with a leadership style that can easily be encapsulated under four broad themes: Co-ordination, Collaboration, Capacity building and Communication.

Coordination: Disaster management is about proactive co-ordination of disparate strands. During his time at NEMA, Habib Ahmed ensured that focus was placed on ensuring that the tools which facilitate co-ordination and the discharge of their mandate were available, fully maintained and in tip-top shape.

The Hytera modern communication system was deployed to enable real time communication and live streaming of events from incident sites both in Nigeria and abroad for a better coordinated disaster response; Medical Intensive Care Units (MICU) Ambulances, Search and Rescue Boats, extrication equipment and operational vehicles were procured to strengthen the capacity of NEMA Search and Rescue teams in all the six zones’ while the NEMA Air Wing comprised of the Fixed Wing Cessna Citation Air Ambulance and Bell 22 Helicopter which had been grounded for five years were revived to enhance capacity for Search and Rescue and medical evacuation.

Coordination also went beyond hardware to include processes. The launch of the NEMA Service Charter in 2023 was to help institutionalise and operationalise processes with a formal document that encapsulates and articulates NEMA’s obligations to its service users in terms of benchmarks and information dissemination.

During his tenure, NEMA also developed a comprehensive national Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (2024-2030) and Action Plan (2024 – 2027) that addresses and puts in context the evolving landscape of risks and challenges facing Nigeria

The Special National Economic Livelihood Emergency Intervention (SNELEI) was a special intervention aimed at supporting the long-term recovery of the nation through the distribution of relief materials such as food and non-food items like water pumps, mattresses, and agricultural supplies.

Proper and precise coordination were key to the successes recorded in the evacuation of stranded Nigerians from various hotspots; Sudan, Libya, Ukraine, India, Dubai and Turkey and it was a delighted Mustapha Habib Ahmed who announced at the conclusion of evacuations from Sudan on 28 July, 2023 that “we have not lost one Nigerian life, which is most important to us.”

Collaboration: Mustapha Habib Ahmed’s savvy, urbane and national outlook as a politician, businessman and student who lived and studied in different parts of the country was obvious in his uncanny ability to forge partnerships and facilitate collaborations during his time at NEMA.

On Thursday August 10, 2023 NEMA reconvened the National Emergency Coordination Forum (ECF), a meeting of multi-sectoral stakeholders comprising agencies of Government, international organisations and the United Nations systems was predicated upon the recognition of coordination and collaboration as vital components of disaster management.

Under his leadership, NEMA emphasised Nigeria’s triple response structure and aligning NEMA to that structure ushered in a hitherto unseen level of collaboration between NEMA  and national, state and sub-national level actors. NEMA and State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) were for once, true partners in progress.

But collaboration wasn’t limited to emergency agencies. NEMA under Ahmed prioritised engagement with national-level agencies like the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) by paying attention to their annual predictions and forecasts especially the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) and Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) respectively. This led to the comprehensive mitigation of the effects of flooding in 2023.

That collaboration also extended to bilateral and multilateral cooperation and partnerships with participation at various global fora in fulfillment of Nigeria’s commitment to international protocols. NEMA participated and represented Nigeria in the midterm review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015 -2030 held between 18th and 19th May, 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA and fostered collaborative partnerships with the United States, Madagascar and others.

Capacity building: A veritable sponge for knowledge, Mustapha Habib Ahmed placed a premium on capacity building and knowledge sharing during his tenure and he was sector, nationality and structure agnostic. Doctors, soldiers, students, community volunteers, journalists, nurses, voluntary organisations, all received emergency response and disaster management especially as first responders.

Under his leadership, NEMA facilitated a training program on Incident Command System (ICS) and Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the US Forestry Service.

A ground-breaking collaboration with the Disaster Management Centre of Bournemouth University saw NEMA hosting an Executive Disaster Management Course which focused on finding ways to enhance the capacity of disaster responders.

Communication: There is a common saying attributed to Stuart Britt and it goes like this: Doing business without advertising is like winking at someone in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.

During his tenure at NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed showed, without equivocation, that he is not one to wink in the dark. He was a master of communicating plans, processes, initiatives, knowledge and impact.

Under his watch, NEMA’s website was unarguably the most vibrant website of any MDA in Nigeria. Reports on the agencies activities and initiatives were shared copiously and timeously keeping stakeholders informed while the DG’s X (formerly Twitter) handle provided a weekly run-down of his itinerary and activities something not commonly seen in these climes.

The communication of NiMEt and NIHSA’s predictions and forecasts captured as “the downscaling of disaster early warning measures to grassroots for effective live-saving early actions” ensured that the devastation from the floods of 2022 did not repeat itself in 2023.

After his formal handover, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, presented a comprehensive, precise and proper scorecard on March 25, 2024, highlighting how his activities at NEMA impacted the nation in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

In his scorecard published on social media, Ahmed thanked his colleagues and collaborators at NEMA while emphasising the agency’s “significant transformation, elevating itself to the forefront of disaster management not only within Nigeria but across the entire West African sub-region.”

He noted that even though “Nigeria’s disaster risk profile and the resulting humanitarian outcomes, stemming from both natural and human-induced disasters, have experienced a notable upward trajectory” the effects have been meditated, moderated and minimised considerably because of NEMA’s proactivity under his leadership.

Mustapha Habib Ahmed’s example is not just a humble invitation for scrutiny and corroboration, it is also an example of the standard all public officials and political appointees should aspire and be held accountable to.

**Toni Kan, a PR and developmental expert writes from London.

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Aiyedatiwa dismisses aide over bribery allegations

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Lucky Aiyedatiwa, governor of Ondo, has dismissed Adeboye Taofiq Ewenla, special assistant on forestry (central senatorial district), with immediate effect.

According to a statement issued by the press secretary to the governor, the dismissal followed allegations of bribery and intimidation against Ewenla by some timber merchants in the state.

“Governor Aiyedatiwa also ordered a probe into the activities of those saddled with the responsibility of managing forest reserves in the state, noting that a replacement for Mr. Ewenla will be announced in due course,” the statement reads.

“The Governor urged all political appointees to conduct themselves in line with the provisions of the law and rules guiding their duties.”

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INEC finally grants PDP, Ighodalo access to inspect Edo guber election materials

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally granted Asue Ighodalo, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo, and his party access to inspect materials used for the September 21 election.

Ighodalo is challenging the victory of Monday Okpebholo, Edo governor-elect.

Okpebholo, a serving senator, won the election with 291,667 votes to defeat Ighodalo who polled 247,274 votes.

However, the party said it was denied access to the materials when it made an attempt to inspect them on Monday. The inspection of election materials is one of the prerequisites in challenging any electoral result in Nigeria.

In a statement on Tuesday, Anugbum Onuoha, resident electoral commissioner (REC) in Edo, said the allegation that INEC refused the PDP from inspecting the election materials is false.

Onuoha said inspection of election materials is a fundamental right of all parties involved in election petitions.

“I wish to inform the public that the inspection of the election materials, including the BVAS devices, has been formally scheduled to take place tomorrow, October 9, 2024, at 10:00 AM at the INEC Headquarters in Edo state,” the REC said.

‘WIN FOR DEMOCRACY’

In reaction to INEC’s decision, Anthony Aziegbemin, chair of PDP in Edo, said INEC’s decision allowing the party to inspect the materials is a “win for democracy”.

“I want to thank all those who came out to protest in support of Ighodalo’s quest to reclaim his stolen mandate,” he said.

“While I have lost faith in the Police and INEC, who I believe colluded with the APC to steal the election, I have absolute confidence in the judiciary.

“They will do right by the people of Edo State and uphold their decision to elect Asue as their governor.”

The chair said they are confident of defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the courts.

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Bandits on the run as Governor Lawal mourns guards killed in Tsafe

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Governor Dauda Lawal, on Tuesday, mourned the death of officers of the Community Protection Guards killed in an ambush in the Tsafe area of Zamfara State. A group of bandits ambushed the security personnel on Monday at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the Tsafe local government area.

Governor Lawal, in a statement by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, described the attack as a barbaric act committed by dispersed bandits on the run. He commended the bravery of the Zamfara Community Protection Guards and other troops for their sacrifice to protect people’s lives. “I received the unfortunate report of an ambush by bandits yesterday in Tsafe local government area, during which nine of our brave Community Protection Guards were killed.

“The guards ambushed and killed are Nasiru Aliyu, Jabiru Hassan, Abdullahi Dangude, Bashar Bawa, Mu’azu Musa, Anas Dahiru, Anas Yakubu, Lawali Yunusa, and one other. “The bandits’ ambush on our guards is a cowardly act, as they were dispersed and on the run due to sustained troop onslaught across the state. “The troops will continue the renewed onslaught to defeat bandits in the state and the entire region. “I want to take this opportunity to extend my condolences on behalf of the government and people of Zamfara State to the families and loved ones of our brave guards.

Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. I hope those injured recover at the earliest. “My government is committed to providing all necessary support to the families of the frontline guards who lost their lives.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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