The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has expressed its desire to collaborate with the National Institute for Sports (NIS) in the areas of emergency preparedness, planning, response, reconstruction, and rehabilitation.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Director Generaland Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports, H.E. Comrade Philip Shaibu, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency is seeking strategic partnerships that would strengthen disaster management capacity across the country.
He explained that the proposed collaboration would leverage the expertise of both institutions to promote safety awareness, emergency preparedness, and disaster risk management within the sports sector.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed the establishment of the Lagos Institute of Disaster Management, which currently has strong Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Lagos State University (LASU) and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
He also noted that these initiatives are being pursued under the developmental vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which are designed to ensure that the disaster management structures and best practices developed by LASEMA can be replicated across Nigeria’s 36 states.
He further stated that the collaboration would enjoy the backing of international organizations that currently support LASEMA, adding that such partnerships would help broaden the reach of disaster management knowledge and enhance institutional capacity nationwide.
Responding, the Director General/CEO of NIS, Comrade Philip Shaibu, welcomed the initiative and assured the delegation that the Institute would reciprocate the visit as part of efforts to strengthen ties between both organizations.
Shaibu reiterated his commitment to the mandate given to him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reposition the National Institute for Sports.
According to him, “The simple task given to me by the President is to reposition NIS to the position it was before now, which is producing standard coaches to fill the gap in the entire coaching system of Nigeria.”
He added that partnerships with organizations such as LASEMA would contribute significantly to achieving the Institute’s objectives by integrating safety, emergency preparedness, and risk management into sports education and administration.