2024 WORLD DROWNING PREVENTION DAY: SAFETY COMMISSION, OTHERS STAGE AWARENESS WALK

The Lagos State Safety Commission, in conjunction with Global Sports Exclusive Promotions, on Thursday held a road walk to stem the alarming rate of drowning incidents in swimming pools, beach houses and waterways in the state.

The event, organised to commemorate the World Drowning Prevention Day, saw a large turnout of participants who walked from Ikeja Under Bridge to JJT Park in Alausa.

In his remarks, the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission Mr. Lanre Mojola, emphasised the significance of the joint initiative and highlighted the need for immediate actions to educate all residents of Lagos State on drowning prevention and equip 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 pools was passed by the State House of Assembly and had since commenced implementation of the Law.

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 organise 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 and 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 sensitisation 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, the initiative underscored the preventable nature of drowning, served as a necessary effective strategy to mitigate drowning incidents and emphasised the importance of water safety, among others.

Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Dr. Olawale Age-Sulaimon stated that drowning among Lagosians irrespective of age, creed and race had been rampant, probably due to the 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 aids and gadgets.

The walk, which began at 8:02 a.m., saw participants from various walks of life, including government officials, emergency responders like Red Cross, Fire service, sports enthusiasts, and concerned citizens.