LAGOS State government said on Monday that the State Fire Services and other emergency agencies in the state salvaged property worth N76.9bn from destruction in the state between May 2017 and April 2018.
The State’s Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-governmental relations, Mr Oluseye Oladejo, said this at the ongoing 2018 Ministerial Press Briefing, holding at the Bagauda Kalto Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, even as he lamented that 84 people were lost to the incidences, with properties worth N12.8bn consumed by the fire tragedies.
Oladejo, who hinted that the fire service received 1,282 emergency calls, of which 980 were fire calls, further disclosed that a total of 333 victims were rescued while the agency recorded 202 rescue calls and 83 false calls.
The commissioner, however, noted that despite the sizeable number of incidents recorded, the state government was able to respond promptly to emergencies thereby saving lots of lives and properties.
“Within the period under review, the state government rehabilitated and upgraded 225 old fire hydrants that were initially below ground level in Lagos Metropolis and installed 50 new additional ones to link the mini/micro Water Works in the state. The hydrants have been providing easy access to copious water supply for firemen during firefighting and rescue operations,” he said.
The commissioner said, as part of measures to prevent mishaps on streets and major highways in the state, plans were underway to commence removal of all abandoned vehicles on roads.
According to him, the move is also aimed at further addressing traffic decongestion and averting security challenges associated with abandoned vehicles.
Oladejo said, in line with this development, the governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, had approved the creation of Vehicle Recovery Unit to solely see to the removal of abandoned and accident-vehicles on the roads, stating that the Unit, which would take-off soon, would be under the Ministry of Special Duties.
“This speaks largely to efforts in terms of prevention to mop up abandoned vehicles in all nooks and crannies in the state and also to make sure that broken down vehicles are promptly removed to prevent mishaps on the highways. For the smooth take-off of the Unit, the governor also directed that equipment and towing trucks of various capacities be procured to be able to remove vehicles of whatever make and size,” the commissioner said.
On Neighbourhood and Safety Corps, In the last one year, the commissioner said the Corps had embarked on advocacy and interactive sessions with stakeholders so as to entrench the principles of community policing in the neighbourhoods.
“This was demonstrated through the interactive session with stakeholders at Ikorodu to control the menace of the criminal gangs known as ‘BADOO,'” Oladejo added.