EMBER MONTHS: LASEMA BOSS CAUTIONS LAGOSIANS ON SAFETY

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has urged Lagosians to be safety cautious in order t demystify the negative report about the ember months, September to December periods of the year said to be characterised by major emergencies and disasters such as auto crashes, fire outbreaks and other tragedies that claim lives and property.

Speaking at Alausa, the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, (LASEMA) Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu noted that the period is witnesses so many activities and high vehicular movement of people and goods in and out of the State during the festive period of Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The General Manager expressed the need for an attitudinal change of the people, especially motorists/commuters who feel the ember months are the time to double their hustle, thereby rushing to make more money and to get to their various destination at the least possible time.

He noted that such a hurry leads to major road accidents which are caused by over speeding, reckless driving, intake of alcohol and non-adherence to traffic rules.
He emphasised that the ember months are just like every other month of the calendar year and as such, motorists are advised to ensure necessary safety precautions are strictly adhered to while driving, insisting that erring offenders would be prosecuted by the State Government.

Tiamiyu stressed that the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Nigerian Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and all the other Agencies involved in the management of emergencies in the State have been put on alert to secure and protect the lives and property of people residing in the State.

While attributing one of the major causes of fire outbreak during ember months to the dry harmattan weather that aids the spread of fire, he mentioned that leaving electrical appliances on, when not in use, sometimes result in fire outbreaks in public places like markets, malls and homes etc.

He advised people to adopt electrical safety measures such as switching off electrical appliances when not in use, avoiding naked wires and desisting from storage of combustible substances such as (PMS) petrol and kerosene to avoid fire outbreak.

The LASEMA Boss, however, hinted that in a bid to stem occurrences of major disasters and emergencies in the State, the Agency as part of its advocacy programme will be embarking on roadshows to sensitise Lagosians on utilising the Lagos State Emergency Toll Free Lines 112/767 as well as jingles on various media platforms on emergency prevention/mitigation.
He reaffirmed the commitment of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to providing necessary equipment and support as well as LASEMA’s readiness to manage emergencies through prompt intervention and extending its tentacles to all the nooks and crannies of the State.