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The Lagos State Government has asked event organisers particularly those who would be distributing food items to residents as a form of palliative to obtain clearance from the government.
The state warned prospective event managers in the state to ensure strict compliance with safety measures during the yuletide season and beyond.
This was made known at a joint press conference organised by the state’s Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations and Ministry of Information and Strategy at Alausa-Ikeja on Sunday.
The Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, said the move became necessary following incidents of stampedes in some parts of the country during palliative sharing, as well as a reported incident of stage collapse at a beach event in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Omotoso called on event organisers to make adequate preparation for crowd control before embarking on any philanthropic gestures and events to forestall stampedes.
“We are here on behalf of the governor to tell Lagosians that he (the governor) feels concerned about the report of stampedes in some parts of the country and will not want such happening here in Lagos. In Lagos State, we have adequate preparations for every big event and we do so every year, we used to have the Greater Lagos Fiesta, and this year, we added the Boat Regatta and others.
“Unfortunately, we got a report that at Sol Beach Victoria Island, there was a stage collapse during a show and fortunately, nobody died in that incident. This has made us say that we do not want the matter to just slide away.
“To prevent such occurrences in Lagos State, all individuals or groups that intend to hold an event or distribute any items at all to large gatherings of people are advised to seek clearance from the Safety Commission,” he said
Omotoso maintained that the Lagos Safety Commission had a partnership with security agencies that are well-equipped to control crowds and would connect individuals and groups to the appropriate agencies for proper operational event management.
He added, “Any act of charity should not turn tragic for our people, so to those who feel that the government is just doing this for nothing and can just gather a crowd and begin distribution of items and huge crowd beefs up and tragic incidents happen, the person will have him or herself to blame.”
On his part, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Gbenga Oyerinde, urged Lagos residents to monitor happenings in their environment and enjoined them to call available hotlines during emergencies.
Speaking on safety measures, the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, said the state had been conscious of the safety of the residents in the past years which was visibly demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mojola, who identified rushing, negligence, complacency and frustration on the part of the people during the distribution of food items, said event planners must follow safety rules and residents or anyone who wish to do charity for people of over 250 people must engage the agency.
