From Victor Akinkuolie ,  Ado-Ekiti

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In a determined bid to bolster Ekiti State’s responses to disaster and emergency management to safeguard the lives of the citizens, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has strengthened the partnership with the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) in terms of personnel training and facilities.

Sequel to the foregoing, the governor has dispatched a team of experts to Lagos to understudy LASEMA and domesticate part of their operations to reduce frictions being experienced in disaster management in Ekiti.

The delegation, led by the Permanent Secretary, Deputy Governor’s Office, Mr. Opeyemi Abayomi, accompanied by the General Manager, Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency (EKSEMA), Mr. Oludare Asaolu, visited LASEMA’s office in Lagos on Friday to exchange ideas on how to exponentially improve responses to emergency situations in the state.

It would be recalled that Governor Oyebanji recently visited LASEMA’s headquarters in Lagos, where he sought a strong partnership with the agency in critical areas that can be effectively domesticated in Ekiti for improved operation of EKSEMA.

Subsequently, a team of LASEMA experts was drafted to Ekiti to appraise the operational structures and facilities of EKSEMA and all the allied agencies associated with emergency management.

Speaking about the visit in a statement in Ado Ekiti over the weekend, the leader of the Ekiti team and Permanent Secretary, Deputy Governor’s Office, Mr. Abayomi Opeyemi, said the partnership was in line with Governor Oyebanji’s resolve to have a safe and secure Ekiti.

Opeyemi stated that the team was deployed to LASEMA to understudy possible areas of collaboration and to ascertain operations obtainable in Lagos that can be adapted in the state for swift response to emergency situations.

The Permanent Secretary added that the governor’s efforts are targeted at mitigating disasters towards realizing the shared prosperity mantra of his administration.

According to Opeyemi, “In order to have firsthand information on the best practices in emergency management in Lagos State, Governor Oyebanji approved that EKSEMA, led by myself, along with the EKSEMA General Manager, Director of Fire Services, and other experts, should undertake a study tour of LASEMA.

“The study tour is intended to learn from LASEMA’s expertise, explore areas of collaboration, and fashion out ways of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of SEMA, especially in emergency and disaster management, including fire services, rapid response initiatives, and ambulance services.

“The team visited the headquarters of LASEMA, where they learned about the integrated approach to disaster management, the Fire Services office, the LASEMA Response Unit at Cappa and its equipment hub, the Internally Displaced Persons camp at Igando, the Onipanu Response Base, as well as the Lekki Response Bas