Lagos tasks councils on tackling flooding, others

Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, has appealed to all the local councils and local council development areas (LCDAs) in the state to set up emergency management committee to proactively manage emergencies in the state, especially flooding.

Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who gave the charge, yesterday, during a stakeholders’ meeting with representatives of Mushin, Surulere, Apapa, Eti-Osa and Lagos Mainland local councils, said that setting up the emergency management committee is very important in the chain of management of emergency in the state.

He added that the state government, under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, wants the setting up of the committee to enable the state move away from responding to flooding incidents but approach it holistically.

According to him, the stakeholders’ engagement with council managers and administrators is a follow up to earlier visit to some councils.

He said while the state government sympathises with the residents affected by flooding, the councils must support to ensure there is no morality from flooding in the state this year and in the future.

According to him, whatever is responsible for the constant flooding needs to be solved together, especially as LASEMA intends to work together with critical stakeholders to solve the crisis.

Oke-Osanyintolu implored the councils to send the names of the committee members to LASEMA to enable the agency engage the members and build their capacity.

Chairman of Mushin Local Council, Emmanuel Bamgboye, who commended LASEMA for putting the meeting together, as collaboration is critical to checking flooding and its negative impact, noted that there is need for attitudinal change among residents that always block drainages with wastes and land owners selling any available space.