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The newly constituted Governing Council of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has been reminded to subject all management plans and programmes to critical scrutiny before approval.

   Mr Ambrose Dery, the Minister of the Interior, who gave the advice, at the swearing-in of a 14-Member Governing Council of NADMO, in Accra, on Wednesday, urged them to use established structures in undertaking their activities.

  “I entreat each member to contribute significantly to the deliberations and functions of the Council, and I pray that this Council being the maiden one does not start with rubber stamping management plans and programmes,” he advised.

   Mr Dery noted that the members of the Council were strategically selected based on their diverse knowledge, skills and experiences to make a mark in the management of disasters in the country.

   Therefore, he said, the members of the Council must exhibit skills and render services to humanity that transcended religious, political, ethnic and social barriers, while being guided by international best practices.

   “Your term of office is coterminous with that of the President, therefore, your performance will be used to measure the stewardship of our President,” he stated.

  “You cannot, therefore, afford to fail the Government and the good people of Ghana, and hope that you will perform to the admiration of all,” he emphasised.

   Mr Dery noted that though the Organisation had a number of challenges such as inadequate financial and logistical resources, poor remuneration and conditions of service, perceived corruption and politicisation of the Organisation, among others.

   However, he said, notwithstanding these herculean challenges, they must make positive strides to prevent the occurrence of disasters as well as mitigate the impact of disasters by undertaking risk reduction initiatives.

   Brigadier General (RTD) Kwame Opong-Kyekyeku, the Chairperson of the Council, on behalf of the members, thanked the President for the confidence reposed in them and assured that the Council would work assiduously to perform their assigned functions to support the vision of the Government.

  He also pledged that the Council would offer all the necessary guidance to the Management of NADMO to ensure prompt response to disasters in the country.