Abbas Idriss: The Quintessential Disaster Manager
‘ ’It is always pleasant to be urged to do something on the ground that one can do it well.’’ -George Santayana Photo: Top, Alhaji Abbas Idriss , DG,FEMA Bottom: Vice President Osinbanjo, middle, FCT Minister Muhammed Bello , left & Abbas Idriss By Ahmed Dodo In an interview he granted SEE Magazine few years ago, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, the Director General of the FCT Emergency Agency (FEMA), made a statement that has remain indebted in my conscious. Responding to a question on an initiative he was credited to have mused as a professional disaster manager on the need to have a Local Emergency Management Committee with a strong grassroots footing, he said: ‘’ The general belief and emphasis is that emergency management cannot be done by this single agency and it must involve everybody and for you to really meet the requirement and get proper results , you need to go deep down the grassroots. That is the reason why the idea ...