The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, yesterday called on Igbo people to develop the culture of insuring their lives and property saying that it is one sure way of mitigating the adverse effect of disasters whenever they occurred.

Speaking during the flag off of Anambra State Fire and Safety Summit in Awka, the Governor noted that the people of the South-East geo-political zone pay no attention to insurance, hence the reason they are usually worse hit whenever disasters occurred.

While advising people to form the habit of taking insurance policy rather than depend on the government anytime disaster occurred, Obiano said his administration has acquired 10 sophisticated modern fire fighting trucks to boost the activities of the state fire service.

“My expectation is that our people will be better informed about disaster and its management after listening to the various speakers at this summit,” the Governor said.

Earlier in his address, the Executive secretary of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Chief Paul Odenigbo, whose office collaborated with the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON) to organise the summit, said the scores of fire accidents and building collapse, as well as threat of flooding in various parts of the state in recent times, raised a huge concern for the government.

He said that from an emergency management perspective, a high population density, like the type in Anambra State, approximated to a high emergency incident rate and disaster risk and urged the people to always be proactive.

On his part, the President of IPSON, Dr. Nnamdi Ilodiuba, said that over the years, Anambra State had witnessed numerous incidents of safety concerns, saying that statistics showed that hardly had any year passed without cases of fire outbreak being experienced in the major markets and business centers in the state.

He said that so many things had been taken for granted for a long time probably because of their seemingly little or unimportant value.

In the words of Dr. Ilodiuba, “We are saddened by the fact that these incidents could very well have been prevented had there been some degree of basic safety consciousness and awareness among the populace. The way forward is by bringing about a change in the knowledge, attitude and practice of the citizenry, particularly in the area of safety.”

Iloduba further said that in view of the seriousness Anambra State attached to safety, ISPON had chosen the state as the venue for its 2016 annual international conference and exhibition in November, adding that the event would attract over 5,000 delegates from all over the country and beyond.

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