The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has emphasised the need for effective coordination among all first responders during emergency situations, saying that the task of saving lives and property of Lagosians requires the cooperation of all including members of the public.
The Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr. Seye Oladejo, who spoke at the Year 2018 Quarterly Stakeholders’ meeting with all emergency responders in the State in attendance, attributed the swift response of all emergency responders during the Otedola Bridge fire incident to the existing coordination among stakeholders.
He added that the State government recognised the need to strengthen the already existing relationship among the various responders with the aim of improving the relationship for better performance.
Oladejo described the theme of the Stakeholders’ meeting, “Coordination: An Integral Tool in Emergency/Disaster Response” as apt, because of the need to x-ray the collective performance of all the relevant stakeholders in the area of response to distress calls and actual performance at the scenes of disasters.
He maintained that LASEMA cannot arrogate to itself the power to exclusive knowledge of ways and means of responding to cases of emergency in the State which is the underlying cause of this meeting.
The Commissioner, represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Jemilade Longe, disclosed that the roles of other relevant stakeholders such as the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Services, (LASAMBUS), Ministry of Health, State
Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, (LASTMA), Red Cross, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Task Force, other Security Operatives, NGOs, Private Companies and of course National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as well as other organisations cannot be over-emphasised.
Oladejo specifically noted that the decentralisation of emergency/disaster management from one LASEMA Response Unit in Alausa to the establishment of three other Centres at Oshodi, Lekki and Onipanu, has greatly assisted in sustaining the tempo of the Agency’s achievements and also aided its response capability towards building a more resilient Lagos Mega City.
“It is important to also note that the State Government is planning to establish more Divisional Dispatch Centres at Ijanikin, to cover Badagry Axis, Temu Junction; Epe, to cover Itoikin and Epe-Ijebu Ode Axis; LASPOTECH, to cover Ikorodu–Agbowa and Costain, to cover Apapa Axis and its environs”, the Commissioner informed.
The significance of these Centres, according to him, is geared towards the continued protection of community assets and cultural heritage, a safer environment as well as to increase investment in the infrastructure within the State’s economy.
He restated the commitment of the State Government to swift emergency response, stressing that ‘our collective aspiration is a Lagos mega city, where incidents of disaster are brought to the barest minimum and cases of emergency responded to quickly and with world-class practice.
Also speaking at the event, the General Manager of LASEMA, Mr. Adeshina Tiamiyu stated that the complexity of the response system and environment which provides for rising hazard risks and vulnerability resulting in countless emergencies/disasters require robust planning and coordination for effective and efficient disaster management towards saving of lives and property.
He identified lack of coordination among stakeholders as a crucial hidden problem that has been principally ignored and is accepted as one of the most important challenges that may impede responding agencies in achieving success towards effective and efficient emergency/disaster management.“The rising cases of natural and anthropogenic incidents resulting in loss of lives, properties and social-economic dislocation makes coordination very essential in achieving an effective response as it addresses the elements of command, control, communication, dispatches/deployment, privatisation of resources and a clear-cut incident command structure”, he stated.More photos below.
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