The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has called on residents of the state to adopt positive attitudinal changes to reduce the incidence of fire outbreaks.

The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, made the call in an interview with Newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.

Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency was well equipped to tackle emergency response challenges across the state, noting that fire incidents could be avoided or significantly reduced if residents complied with institutional requirements and safety regulations.

“It is rather sad that people who ought to know better wilfully disobey standard regulations, which usually lead to disasters,” he said.

The permanent secretary noted that the agency had never been overwhelmed by the series of emergencies recorded in the state, attributing this to strong preparedness, adequate resources and effective coordination under the state government.

“We are not overwhelmed. When you are well prepared and you have the necessary resources, you cannot be overwhelmed.

“In Lagos State, we are well positioned and well prepared for any form of emergency,” he said.

Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA had significantly leveraged technology while deliberately strengthening human capacity to avoid overreliance on systems that could fail.

“Technology is very important, but if care is not taken, technology can fail. At LASEMA, we combine advanced technology with strong human capacity.

“Our equipment is highly computerised and digitalised, and our emergency number has been upgraded to improve efficiency and effectiveness,” he said.

He attributed Lagos’ emergency response success to strong political will, describing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the “Chief Incident Commander.”

“The political will is key. The governor has taken ownership of emergency management.

“When incidents occur, everyone knows the government is watching, reports are monitored, and discipline is enforced,” he said.

Oke-Osanyintolu explained that apparent discrepancies in casualty figures released by different emergency agencies often stemmed from differences in mandate and operational scope.

“Other agencies like the Fire Service and the Lagos State Ambulance Service have their individual roles.

“LASEMA is the umbrella coordinating agency. We respond mainly to major incidents, while others may attend to smaller cases,” he said.

According to him, casualty figures released by agencies usually reflect only the victims they personally handled, while LASEMA adopts a holistic approach.

“When we talk about casualties, we capture everything — those rescued, those injured and those taken to hospital, including both minor and major injuries.

“That is why we say our response is holistic, from the beginning to the middle and to the end,” he said.

He described LASEMA as a multidisciplinary agency comprising doctors, nurses, engineers, fire and building experts, stressing that emergency response goes beyond firefighting alone.

Reviewing the agency’s performance in 2025, he said LASEMA had demonstrated both effectiveness and efficiency, even when compared with emergency management systems in developed countries.

“If you compare what we are exposed to in Lagos with what happens in the UK and other developed countries, you will see that we are not only effective, we are very efficient,” he said.

On disaster prevention, he highlighted the state’s emphasis on early warning systems, advocacy and community-based structures.

“We have local emergency management committees because disasters impact local communities first. We also carry out regular sensitisation and advocacy to reduce risks before incidents occur,” he said.

According to him, the existing inter-agency command structure prevents inefficiency among responding agencies.

“There is a clear chain of command and organogram. LASEMA coordinates all agencies, and that structure ensures discipline, cooperation and effective response,” he said.

He also addressed public concerns over a recent controversial incident, explaining that emergency management involved measures taken before, during and after disasters.

“Emergency does not start at the point of collapse. Before the incident, we had structures in place — local emergency committees, market emergency committees and advocacy visits.

“Our teams were on the ground for sensitisation even shortly before the incident,” he said.

Oke-Osanyintolu assured Lagos residents that the agency would continue to improve its operations to safeguard lives and property across the state.

He reiterated the agency’s commitment to sustained sensitisation and advocacy on safety measures required to prevent or mitigate disasters.