Ekiti Govt partners NIMASA to tackle disasters

Ekiti State has announced a partnership with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, to reinforce security and tackle the menaces of poverty and disasters that could ravage the state.

The partnership was sealed during the visit to NIMASA headquarters in Lagos on Friday by a delegation led by Abayomi Opeyemi, the Permanent Secretary at the Ekiti State Deputy Governor’s Office. Also on the delegation were the General Manager of the Ekiti State Emergency Management Agency, EKSEMA, Oludare Asaolu and his counterpart, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu.

A statement released in Ado Ekiti on Saturday by Opeyemi asserted that the partnership was geared towards mapping out action plans to reinforce security through the donation of gadgets to Ekiti to fortify security architectures.

According to him: “The state’s delegates requested assistance to strengthen security in Ekiti through the provision of security equipment, empowerment support and grants for the poor and vulnerable people in the communities.

“We sought support and collaboration with NIMASA on strategies for ensuring the safety of the lives and property of the citizens of the state.

“Besides security, we appealed to NIMASA to extend empowerment programmes to our vulnerable groups to reduce poverty in line with the programmes and policies of Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

“The issue of how to mitigate disasters like rainstorms, flooding, fire incidences and other emergency issues was also brought to the front burner because the security of lives and property of Ekiti residents is dear to our governor.”

NIMASA’s Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Dayo Mobereola, represented by the Director of Marine Environment Management, Heaky Dimowo, appreciated the permanent secretaries of EKSEMA and LASEMA, for the visit, promising support and collaboration to ensure the safety of coastal areas, waterways and the hinterland across Nigeria.

He promised that NIMASA would assist Ekiti in building the capacity of relevant personnel as well as intervene in the area of providing critical equipment for appropriate security agencies.