LAGOS WARNS RESIDENTS OF IMPENDING WEATHER, ROLLS OUT RESPONSE PLANS FOR YULETIDE

IKEJA, Lagos, Nigeria – Following the sudden change of weather and preparations towards the Yuletide, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), has advised Lagosians to be cautious in all dealings to avoid any form of emergency/disasters as well as to demystify the thinking that most emergencies and disasters are attributed to the ’ember months’.

Speaking in his office at Alausa Secretariat, the General Manager, LASEMA, Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu, said that between the end of November and middle of March every year, humidity drops as low as 15 percent with residents experiencing cold especially in the morning in Lagos state and other parts of the country, while visibility is also affected because of the early morning haze.

He further stressed that the pervading adverse weather condition, increase in vehicular activities as a result of people travelling in and out of the state, urge for many trips by transporters for more income, overloading, over speeding, use of bad tires, non adherence to traffic rules and other related issues are potential catalyst for road crashes and other forms of emergencies.

Tiamiyu, therefore advised motorists to be conscious of the foggy weather condition, early morning and late evening mist which are usually associated with the harmattan season and also reminded motorists of the need to continuously embark on routine check of their vehicles. Wipers, brakes, windscreen and functional head lights should also be properly checked before plying the road, he said.

Speaking on the incessant fire outbreak during this dry season, the LASEMA boss posited that it is needful for Lagosians to take necessary precautionary measures to avoid fire outbreak and other emergencies. Measures to be taken, according to him, include: avoidance of naked light such as the use of candles, ensuring switching of electrical appliances when not in use and desisting from storage of inflammable materials such as petroleum product. Others are stopping of bush burning and unnecessary use of fireworks, which are highly explosive. These, he said, are precautionary steps to prevent disastrous consequences.

While assuring Lagosian that the government is alive to its responsibilities in entrenching safety of lives and properties at all times, he however advised Lagosians to be vigilant, especially when in large gatherings such as religious programmes, carnivals, clubs, event centres and restaurants by monitoring all activities around them and to report suspicious and unusual activities to security agencies through the emergency numbers, 112/767 which is toll free and open to all distress calls from any telecommunication network.

He said there will be continuous routine day and night patrol with the Agency’s tow trucks around the 3rd Mainland Bridge to Berger end of Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, Western Avenue to Lagos Abeokuta Expressway and the heavy duty trucks, Super Metro – to be stationed at Anthony, to cover Ikorodu Axis and Lekki-Epe Expressway. Other areas of coverage include Ikeja, Mile 2, Badagry Expressway and other strategic locations across the state.

According to the General Manager, the essence of this patrol is to tow off any broken down vehicles causing impediment on the road as this could possibly result in unnecessary accidents, loss of man hour and traffic gridlock.

He noted that the response time of the Agency had improved with over 80,000 calls relayed to the Call Centre on daily basis ranging from domestic violence, robbery, road accidents, fire outbreaks with several link calls, while the operational base of the Agency is also spreading to cover all the parts of the state for adequate and prompt response to any form of emergency in the state. The latest, he noted, is the Fadeyi-Onipan Dispatch Unit on Ikorodu Road commissioned during the week.