AWKA – The International Red Cross Society has called on the federal and state governments to invite them as experts in crisis management in the country.
The Chairman of the group in Anambra, retired Justice P.A.C Obidigwe, made the call at the celebration of the International Red Cross Day in Awka on Thursday.
Obidigwe said such invitation was important in the face of the spate of violence across the states and communities resulting in deaths, especially of women and children.
In a speech entitled “My Red Cross Story,” the chairman bemoaned the level of humanitarian challenges in Nigeria and some other states in Africa.
He called on the Federal Government to continue its relentless battle to bring peace to all parts of the country, especially the North East.
He said “with over five million deaths every year across the world, violence and injuries accounted for about nine per cent of global mortality (1.6 million), as many deaths were also caused by HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.
He called for the establishment of a lead agency or a ministry for crisis management and aggrieved agitators.
He expressed the hope that such an agency would embark on conflict resolution, impact assessment and mitigation strategy.
It will also have offices in all the local government headquarters, especially in the North East where the Boko Haram members are on rampage.
The chairman also called on state governments to complement the efforts of the Federal Government, pointing out that the society in Anambra was highly indebted to the state government.
He commended the media for covering the activities of the body and the emergency situations in the country. (NAN)