Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, has reiterated readiness to partner with relevant institutions and other stakeholders towards entrenching safety of lives and property in the State.

According to its General Manager, Adesina Tiamiyu, the Agency’s door is open to partnerships and collaboration with relevant institutions towards building capacity and response capability in disaster management”.

Tiamiyu said this at the Command and Control Centre Alausa, while receiving a delegation of the Disaster Management Programme of the University of Lagos, Akoka.

He noted that the Agency had given necessary support and assistance to undergraduate students from various universities in terms of internship, research and development as well as volunteering in emergency response.

Tiamiyu said government had invested so much in the procurement of new equipment, training programmes and establishment of additional dispatch Centres, across the State.

He further stated that in the last three years, there has been a remarkable improvement in emergency/disaster management in the State, stressing that the present administration has invested so much in the procurement of new equipment, provision of training programs as well as establishment of additional dispatched Centres, which started from one Centre in Alausa-Ikeja to the establishment of the LASEMA Response Unit (LRU) Cappa, Oshodi, Lekki by Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge and Onipanu on Ikorodu Road.

Tiamiyu also said efforts are ongoing to replicate these centres in Epe and Ijanikin by Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education towards bringing the service closer to the people and reducing response time.

In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, the Coordinator, Masters in Disaster Management Programme, University of Lagos, Alabi Soneye, thanked the Lagos Emergency Management Agency and stakeholders for their activities in the past and more recently in managing crisis and disasters in Lagos State.

He said research carried out by the University can be integrated and used by the Agency in areas of emergency/disaster mitigation and preparedness, especially in reducing disaster, adding that the partnership will be mutually beneficial to both parties.