Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday reaffirmed Lagos’s leadership role in disaster preparedness and response, but quickly called for collaboration among state agencies when confronting emergencies and national challenges.
Governor Sanwo-Olu gave this position while speaking at the first-ever National State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) Conference hosted in Lagos, themed: ‘Strengthening Sub-National Emergency Management for a Resilient Nigeria,’ held at Balmoral Conventional Centre, Ikeja, emphasising that no state in the country can tackle disasters in isolation.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Kadir Obafemi Hamzat, noted that every state in the country faces its own set of challenges, ranging from floods, fires, epidemics, industrial accidents, or the unpredictable impacts of climate change, saying these issues do not recognize borders as they put the nation’s systems, leadership, and ‘commitment to safeguarding lives and livelihoods to the test.’
The governor described the conference as a crucial step towards collaboration and forging the strong partnerships that would define the future of emergency management in the country.
‘Every State in Nigeria faces its own set of challenges, be it floods, fires, epidemics, industrial accidents, or the unpredictable impacts of climate change. These issues do not recognise borders; they put our systems, our leadership, and our commitment to safeguarding lives and livelihoods to the test.
‘This gathering marks the beginning of a new era: one where State agencies collaborate rather than operate in isolation; where knowledge is shared, lessons are learned, and every citizen, from the North to the South, can have faith in a dependable, coordinated response system,’ he stated.
Governor Sanwo-Olu outlined key investments his administration had made through the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), saying that they include: Lagos Emergency Response Rescue Unit (LRU), the LASEMA Mobile App and Call Centre Upgrade, Partnerships and Training, among others.
The governor cited real-life examples of Lagos’ preparedness, including the rapid deployment of rescue teams during flash floods in Ikorodu and Ajegunle, as well as coordinated operations that saved lives during a building collapse in Mushin, noting that the effectiveness of the reforms by the state government underscored the critical importance of being prepared, working together, and investing in emergency management.
‘We need to keep weaving disaster risk reduction into our governance at every level, embrace new technologies and innovations, and, most importantly, empower our citizens with the awareness and strategies they need to be prepared,’ he charged.
The State Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Olugbenga Oyerinde, in his welcome address, noted that the conference provided an avenue for states’ emergency management agencies to be united by a common purpose to strengthen Nigerian residents in the face of emergencies and disasters.
The commissioner described the conference as a new chapter, witnessing, for the first time, a gathering of all the States’ emergency management agencies, Federal institutions, private sector leaders, international partners, and frontline respondents ‘under one roof, united by a common purpose to strengthen Nigerian residents in the face of emergencies and disasters.’
‘Today, through this conference, we are proudly declaring a new chapter. We are the most prominent reactions to readiness and from recovery to resilience. Where, for the first time, all the States’ emergency management agencies, federal institutions, private sector leaders, international partners, and frontline respondents are gathered under one roof, united by a common purpose to strengthen Nigerian residents in the face of emergencies and disasters,’ Oyerinde said.
Also speaking, the Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar Abubakar, noted that the agency remained committed to working with each and every state emergency management agency to protect and tackle disasters in the country.
She assured that the agency would strengthen early warning systems, improve data, forecasting, and information management, expand grassroots capacity building, and uphold transparency and accountability in all its interventions in the communities, explaining that Lagos is a city that continues to inspire the nation as a model of resilience, innovation, and determination in emergency management.
The Guest Speaker, Dr. Leke Pitan, in his address, titled ‘From Risk to Readiness: Strengthening Disaster Preparedness at the Sub-National Level’, Pitan, recalled the purpose behind the establishment of LASEMBUS, noting that it was created to enhance emergency management with ambulances strategically stationed across key locations.
Pitan explained that these ambulances were deliberately positioned in traffic-prone areas, allowing medical teams to provide timely treatment and attend to patients before they reach the hospital.
He further highlighted that LASEMBUS operations were later integrated with other critical emergency response agencies, including the Fire Service, Police, and Traffic Management personnel, adding that the dedicated emergency line 767 was introduced, and subsequently, the National Toll-Free Emergency number 112 was adopted to further strengthen response coordination.