The Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency has attributed delays in responding to emergency situations in the state to a shortage of specialised personnel and the absence of key technical units.
The Director-General of the agency, Benjamin Akwash, disclosed this on Thursday in Lafia when the agency appeared before the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on Public Accounts to present its budget performance for the second quarter of 2026.
Akwash said the agency’s emergency response capacity was being hampered by the lack of specialised personnel and professional units, including Relief and Rehabilitation, Medical and Technical units.
He appealed to the committee to intervene in addressing the challenges, stressing the need to strengthen the agency’s capacity for effective service delivery.
According to him, the existing gaps had affected the agency’s ability to respond efficiently to emergencies across the state.
Akwash pledged to engage the appropriate authorities and stakeholders to improve the situation and strengthen emergency response management.
He also commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for prioritising the activities of the emergency management agency.
The DG made the disclosure during the committee’s review of the agency’s second-quarter budget performance, part of the oversight responsibilities of the state legislature.
Responding, the committee chairman, Solomon Akwashiki, commended Akwash for introducing innovations in disaster management in the state.
Akwashiki also praised the agency for what he described as its good performance and urged the management to sustain the progress.
He assured the agency that the committee would continue to support efforts aimed at improving its operations and addressing the challenges affecting emergency management.
“We will continue to support and collaborate with you in order to address your challenges for effective service delivery,” the chairman said.
The committee’s intervention is expected to focus attention on the agency’s personnel and technical capacity as Nasarawa continues to strengthen its preparedness and response to emergencies.
The agency’s leadership is expected to engage relevant government authorities on measures required to establish the specialised units and recruit or deploy personnel needed to improve response operations.
