“PLAY YOUR ROLES TOWARDS A SAFER LAGOS” – LASG TELLS RESIDENTS

Lagos State Government on Tuesday expressed the need for every resident of the State to be aware of their own roles towards ensuring a safer Lagos to ensure that all efforts by the present administration on security issues achieve the desired results.

The Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Seye Oladejo who made this known at the opening of Ember Months Safety Sensitization and Advocacy Campaign organised by the State Safety Commission, stated that the huge investment committed to safety matters by the government will yield the desired results only if individuals observe some basic safety rules.

He said that the programme was meant to reawaken the consciousness of individuals and organisations on effective policies and actions needed to be taken to reduce exposure to risk at the community level, thereby contributing to saving lives, homes and livelihoods.

Oladejo noted that adequate and functional emergency response is the responsibility of not only Government but the society at large, stressing that the State Government is using the festive period to sensitize and partner with major stakeholders on safety issues.

“As you are aware Lagos, just like many other mega-cities around the world, is grappling with the effects of high population, thus we appreciate the need for effective disaster reduction and emergency risk management strategies, in order to avoid dramatic consequences and prevent unnecessary loss of lives,” he emphasised.

The Commissioner added that the State government recognises the attendant effect of safety and disaster issues on health, welfare and productivity of the people, hence the promotion of safety culture by the present administration through the adoption of best practices and deployment of world-class resources.

In his words, “Let me reassure you that, Lagos State Government shall continue to raise awareness about the risks that we face on a daily basis and promote prompt safety management and implementation strategy. We have also put in place through our Command and Control Centre an effective Surveillance and Emergency Response Strategy.”

In his remarks, the Director-General of Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Hakeem Dickson urged individuals and corporate organisations to continuously identify the potential risks in their environment and analyse emerging threats and its consequences, saying that this remains a foremost safety principle.

He called on all the safety stakeholders to ensure the functionality of various emergency support functions provided by safety responders to promote safety and make emergency management more sustainable in Lagos State.

“What we are concerned about in this Commission is to save as many lives as possible and disabuse the minds of Lagosians about the associated fears with the ember months. We want all the participants here at this event to take all the safety tips that they would be exposed to seriously for their own benefit and for the benefit of Lagosians in general”, he noted.

The programme was attended by relevant stakeholders in the hospitality, safety, public and private sectors.