By G. Naway Gumeh, gumehnaway@gmail.com/ +231775032080
Disaster Management Expert, Fairnoh Gbilah has described Mary Broh’s appointment as head of the National Coronavirus Response team as a show of gross incompetence displayed at the National Disaster Management Agency.
Mr. Gbilah, a Former Acting Deputy Executive Director for Operations at the National Disaster Management Agency, said: “If the leadership of the National Disaster Management Agency was knowledgeable of what needs to be done during this crisis, I don’t think they would be playing back-benching role. There is a National Emergency Operation Center at the National Disaster Management Agency-there where the entire coordination supposed to be done by the agency during this crisis. Now that Mary Broh is appointed, it means that she is expected to be sitting there to do coordination which tells you exactly that there is a leadership gap at the agency because people who should have been doing what they supposed to do are not doing so”. Mr. Gbilah lamented.
Mr. Gbilah, who was speaking via mobile phone to www.publictrust.com, argued that the appointment deprives the agency of its statutory function and further violates “Coordination”, one of the core functions of the National Disaster Management Agency in times of disaster response.
He noted that it is unfortunate that Madam Broh would preside over the National Emergency Operation Center, (EOC) which was established at the National Disaster Management Agency to be purposely coordinated by the institution in times of such crisis.
Fairnoh Gbilah suggested that if President Weah acted based on capacity and leadership gaps at the agency, the situation must be addressed by government if the institution must serve the purpose for which it was lawfully established.
“There is a major issue (Coronavirus) that is confronting the world, then of course, you have to ensure that the institution that was legally established (National Disaster Management Agency) be given due capacity. If it is the issue of leadership gap at the agency, government must address it. If it is also the issue of capacity, address it as well-and the National Disaster Management Agency must be involved with “coordination” especially at this time,” he recommended.
Mr. Gbilah has meanwhile described President Weah’s Wednesday, April 8, 2020 address to the nation as laudable.
He said it is in line with international best practices to combat the new coronavirus but with a call for support to the struggling masses many of whom barely get basic social services.
“Those tougher measures suggested by the President to the legislators in order to combat coronavirus are in line with international best practices. My issue is, when the government institutes “lock-down measure and state of emergency” there must be provision in order to help our citizens during these times. If this is not workable, I fear that there will be more deaths reported as a result of hunger because we live in an impoverished nation where many of our citizens cannot afford for themselves”.
The former disaster management official said though government is zealous about combating the coronavirus, measures borrowed from western countries must be contextualized so as to enable citizens to handle its consequences.