LASEMA stresses synergy among stakeholders in disaster management

From Lagos.

To ensure effective management of disasters in Nigeria, the
Director General, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Oke-Osanyintolu, has stressed the need for synergy among the stakeholders for the realisation of the desired results.

Oke-Osanyintolu made the call in an interview with Journalistsin Lagos on Tuesday while speaking on the line of of commemoration of the 2020
International Day for Disaster, which has the Theme: ‘Risk Reduction’.

The LASEMA boss also emphasized the imperative of community practice with a view to reducing disaster risk in the country.

He also called for building statewide capacity and to collaborate and strengthen the efforts in practically reducing disaster risk creation, through effective Disaster Risk Reduction.

Oke-Osanyintolu,who said that synergy remained one of the viable panacea toward risk management, assured of LASEMA’s readiness to support the concept ‘Moving from commitment to Action’.

According to him, disasters take about 30,000 lives; uproot at least 15,000 and affect more than 60,000 people within a year globally.

He noted that the impact of disasters, globally, had increased greatly,thus becoming a major obstacle to achieving sustainable socio-economic development.

“Over 50 per cent of displacement results from disasters such as flooding and terrorism yearly.

“The direct economic loss is estimated at billions of dollars, which sets back socio-economic development, especially in the African region.

” To save lives and reduce suffering, state, national and international communities have been doing their best in disaster response, which is not only critical but necessary.

” However, disaster response alone is insufficient.

“The global empirical evidence, widespread consensus is that, the severity and frequency of disasters are growing.

“As such, developing countries, including Nigeria, are increasingly exposed,socially, economically and bio-physically,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

The LAESEMA boss identified change in weather patterns, inefficient land use practices and growing populations as some of the reasons for increased disaster globally.

According to him, most of the population were exposed to various hazards due to socio-economic status and assets located in high-risk areas as well as rapid and uncontrolled urbanization.

The LASEMA boss said that climate change and land degradation were expected to significantly affect Africa and increase risks related to water resources, fire, agriculture and food security.

He said that loses from flooding in Lagos State were exacerbated by catchments of choked drains choked during heavy rains due to improper refuse disposal.