25th July, 2024
The Lagos State Safety Commission, in conjunction with Global Sports Exclusive Promotions on Thursday held a road walk to stem alarming rate of drowning incidents in swimming pools, beach houses and waterways in the state.
The event, which commemorated the World Drowning Prevention Day, saw a large turnout of participants who walked from Ikeja Under Bridge to JJT Park in Alausa.
In his opening remarks, the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission Mr. Lanre Mojola, emphasized the significance of the joint initiative and highlighted the need for immediate actions to educate all residents of Lagos State on drowning prevention and as well equipped residents with essential life saving skills.
“We are proud to collaborate with Global Sports Exclusive Promotions to raise awareness about the prevention of drowning. This event is a crucial step towards creating a safer society, and we are committed to continuing our efforts in this regard,” Mojola said.
He said in 2021, the Lagos State Safety Commission Law and regulations on swimming pool was passed by the State House of Assembly and had since commenced implementations of the regulations.
Mojola said in tandem with the Commission’s mandate to promote the safety and well-being of citizens within the different communities, the Commission highlighted the need for approval to organize the “Community Safety Lifeguard Initiative” focused on drowning prevention through measures to reduce drowning deaths in Lagos State.
This, he said included lifeguard training and certification; training children on water safety skills and swimming; bystanders on safe rescue and resuscitation techniques and disseminating water safety information using different media.
The Director General said “We must ensure that students, teachers, and community members are well-informed and trained on water safety. To this end, the initiative will be in three phases: public sensitization on drowning prevention in the media, training school children on water safety across the Six Educational Districts in Lagos State and lifeguards/ bystander training and certification.”
According to him, this initiative underscored the preventable nature of drowning, served as a necessary effective strategy to mitigate drowning incidents, emphasized the importance of water safety, among others.
“Accordingly, putting into perspective the importance of awareness creation, the World Health Organization, WHO, has declared July 25 of every year as World Drowning Prevention Day, to raise awareness about the devastating and long term effect of drowning on family and society,” Mojola said.
Also in his remark, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Special Duties and intergovernmental Relations, Dr. Olawale Age-Sulaimon, also declared that drowning among Lagosians irrespective of age, creed and race had been rampant, probably due to prevalence of water in Lagos.
He warned those who did not know how to swim to desist from swimming, saying that those who must swim should be assisted with swimming aides and gadgets.
The walk, which began at 8:02 a.m. saw participants from various walks of life, including government officials, all emergency responders like Red Cross, Fire service, sports enthusiasts, and concerned citizens.
The event aimed to educate the public about the risks associated with drowning and promote measures to prevent such incidents.
“Through this collaborative effort, the Lagos State Safety Commission and Global Sports Exclusive Promotions demonstrated their commitment to creating a safer and healthier society. The success of this event paves the way for future initiatives aimed at promoting safety and well-being in Lagos State,” Age-Sulaimon said.
