Adamawa Launches 5-Day Workshop on Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment to Prevent Disease Outbreaks and Floods

Daji Sani in Yola

Adamawa State has begun a five‑day multi‑hazard risk assessment workshop aimed at identifying and prioritizing threats to public health and safety. The initiative is supported by UNICEF, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and funded by the United States government.

The opening ceremony, held on Saturday, was attended by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Hon. Chubado Mohammed Jada, senior NCDC officials, and stakeholders from throughout Adamawa.

A UNICEF representative, Dr Eghe Abe, Health Specialist, UNICEF Nigeria, explained that the grant is intended to help Adamawa State map recurring hazards and determine which require urgent state action to protect citizens.

“We are supporting Adamawa State to develop its own multi‑hazard risk assessment document. With that plan, they will know where hazards are occurring and when they are likely to happen,” the official said.

He added 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 continued.

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 include the U.S. government as funder, UNICEF Nigeria, the Adamawa State Ministry of Health, and NCDC. Other non‑governmental organisations and state agencies working in Adamawa are also involved.

Abe noted that hazards being considered span 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 provide 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 the DRC and Uganda, though no case has been recorded in the state.