Lagos State Government has warned prospective event managers in the state to ensure strict compliance to safety measures this yuletide season and beyond.
The state government said it is doing everything to prevent accidents of any form in the public places while urging residents to prioritise safety at all time.
Speaking at a joint press conference organised by both the State Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations and Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho said the move had become necessary following incidents of stampede in some parts of the country as well
as a reported incident of a stage collapse at a beach event in Victoria Island, Lagos
The Information and Strategy Commissioner called on event organisers to make adequate preparation for crowd control before embarking on any philanthropic gestures and events to forestall stampedes.
He explained that henceforth, individuals, religious and corporate bodies that wish to hold any form of event in the State must register with the Lagos State Safety Commission or face the full wrath of the law.
“We are here on behalf of the governor to tell Lagosians that he feels concerned about the report of stamped in some parts of the country and will not want such happening here in Lagos. In Lagos state, we have adequate preparations for every big event and we do so every year, we used to have Greater Lagos Fiesta, this year, we added Boat Regatta and others.
“Unfortunately , we got a report that at Sol Beach Victoria Island, there was a stage collapse during a show and fortunately nobody died in that incident. This has made us say that we do not want the matter to just slide away.
“To prevent such occurrences in Lagos State, all individuals or groups that intend to hold an event or distribute any items at all to large gatherings of people are advised to seek clearance from the Safety Commission,” he said
Omotoso maintained that Lagos Safety Commission has a partnership with security agencies who are well equipped to control crowd and will connect individuals and groups to the appropriate agencies to proper operational event management.
He added: “Any act of charity should not turn tragic for our people, so to those who feel that the government is just doing this for nothing and can just gather a crowd and begin distribution of items and huge crowd beefs up and tragic incidents happen, the person will have him or herself to blame.”
On his part, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter- Governmental Relations, Mr. Gbenga Oyerinde urged Lagos residents to be their brother’s keeper by monitoring happenings in their environment, while enjoining them to always call the toll free numbers 767 and 112 in case of emergency.
Speaking on safety measures, Director -General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola said the state has been conscious of the safety of the residents in the past years which was visibly demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mojola who identified rushing, negligence, complacency and frustration on part of the people during distribution of food items said that event planners must follow safety rules and residents or anyone who wish to do charity for people of over Two hundred and Fifty must engage the Agency through its website, www.lasgsafetyreg.com.
The event was well attended by other Heads of Agencies, including, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, the State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Neighbourhood Corp, among others.
