Lagos State Government through the State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA, has joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction, a day set aside by the United Nations to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction.

According to the government, it chosed to join the rest of the world to celebrate the day, to plan, partner and share experiences with governments and organisations to ensure global awareness about effective actions, policies and practices were taken to reduce exposure to disaster risk at the community level, thereby contributing to saving homes and livelihoods.

Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Oluseye Oladejo in a keynote address, said for the State, the day had become a platform to encourage every individual, stakeholders and the community to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nation.

Oladejo who spoke through Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Adebunmi Adekanye said the theme for this year’s celebration “Home, Safe Home” couldn’t had been more appropriate, coming at a time when there was need to develop local initiatives for reducing the occurrence and minimising the adverse effects of disasters if the goal of sustainable development was to become a reality.

He further noted that Lagos, in its bid to continually promote prompt response management and implementation strategy, recently held a State Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Summit for major Stakeholders in South- West Nigeria.

Earlier in his welcome address, the General Manager of LASEMA, Adeshina Tiamiyu said the agency had made giant strides in emergency response plan by putting in place policies targeted at “Reducing the number of people affected by disaster by Year twenty-thirty in the state.

The General Manager said the enormous support from the State Government under the leadership of Akinwunmi Ambode, the collaboration of the private sector and other stakeholders in the Emergency Management services have contributed to the modest achievements recorded by the Agency in disaster management and reduction.

Highlight of the celebration was a presentation by the Guest Speaker, Ruth Adio-Moses from the Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan while applauding LASEMA for raising awareness on disaster reduction, she urged all stakeholders to ensure that they desist from actions that could escalate man made disasters within communities.

She commended the effort of LASEMA in Emergency Intervention, Mitigation of Colossal disaster, Rescue Operations, Partnering in Development of Lagos State and Reduction of disaster through community Training and education

Drama presentation by the Lagos State cultural troop also dramatized the different level of disasters and the need to desist from actions that could cause disasters across the State.