The Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Chief Paul Odenigbo, yesterday said that the increasing number of fire accidents and building collapse in the country posed serious challenges to the economy of Nigeria.

He stressed the need for the people to take proactive measures to reduce them.

Speaking at the summit organised by the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON) in Awka, Odenigbo noted that threats of flooding in various parts of Anambra State in recent times posed a huge concern for the government.

Odenigbo said it was the drive to ensure improvement in disaster management that informed the decision of SEMA and ISPON to organise the summit in which stakeholders in safety and risk management educated the people on ways of avoiding disasters.

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 hence, people should always avoid situations that could ignite fire disasters and building collapse.

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

In his words, “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.

“So many things had been taken for granted for a long time probably because of their seemingly little or unimportant value.”

Ilodiuba further explained 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.

He said that the event would attract over 5,000 delegates from all over the country and beyond.

•Photo shows a fire disaster.

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