LASEMA, NEMA Intensify Flood Sensitisation Campaign Ahead Of Rainy Season

OLORUNDARE ENIMOLA, Lagos

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have launched a joint flood preparedness and sensitisation campaign aimed at reducing the impact of flooding across Lagos during the 2026 rainy season.

The initiative, which commenced at LASEMA’s command centre on May 25 and continued on May 26 under NEMA’s National Preparedness and Response Campaign, brought together local government officials, traditional rulers, market leaders, transport unions, youth groups, schools and security agencies.

Officials said the campaign is designed to strengthen early warning systems, improve community awareness and enhance coordination between federal and state emergency response agencies.

Speaking during the exercise, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said Lagos authorities were adopting a preventive disaster management strategy in response to increasing flood risks in the coastal city.

He noted that the state recorded more than 1,100 emergency incidents in 2025, many of them linked to flooding, adding that authorities were now prioritising prevention, rapid alerts and community-based preparedness.

According to him, the state has upgraded its 24-hour command and control centre with real-time weather data from relevant agencies to provide residents with advance flood warnings.

He added that emergency equipment and relief materials had also been positioned in vulnerable areas across the state.

Representing NEMA Director-General Zubaida Umar at the event, South-West Zonal Director Akiode Saheed warned that flooding remained one of Nigeria’s most recurring natural disasters.

He blamed poor waste disposal, illegal construction on waterways and weak urban planning for worsening flood vulnerability in many communities.

Both agencies urged residents living in flood-prone areas to heed official warnings, clear blocked drainage channels and avoid encroaching on flood plains.

They also called for stronger public participation, stressing that disaster management requires collective responsibility between government agencies and local communities.