By ROSEMARY ONUOHA

Lagos State government has emphasized that individuals and governments have a responsibility to manage riskfor the betterment of lives and those of the people they serve.

Babatunde Raji Fashola

Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, stated this at the first public lecture on ‘the role of government in management of risks in the society’ organized by the National Association of Insurance Correspondents, NAICO, in Lagos.

According to Fashola, government is responsible for the wellbeing and welfare of the people they serve, adding, “We have a responsibility to provide social security for both the young and the elderly; a responsibility to provide security of lives and property and also a responsibility to ensure that the infrastructures put in place are properly maintained in a way and manner that the State can be described as having a ‘developed economy status.’

Fashola who was represented by Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Ben Akabueze, said that where they fail to take pre-emptive steps to attend to the risks that come with the responsibilities that have been placed on them, they would be perceived as a failed government.

According to him, Lagos State Government has always been the vanguard of identifying risks and taking steps to eradicate those risks. “To list a few: the climate change risks which could expose the State to flooding and other natural hazards but which we have successfully tackled in the past few years; health risks posed by the incursion of ebola virus disease to Nigeria and the prompt steps taken by the State Government to curtail the spread of the disease,” Fashola said.

“We face security challenges: kidnapping, ritual killings, armed robberies etc. These are threats to peaceful co-existence of inhabitants of the State. To mitigate those risks, the Lagos State Government equipped the Rapid Response Squad and other Law enforcement agencies.

“Our youths and the elderly are exposed to social protection risks which if not addressed could result in poverty, and a resultant security hazard in the community. Risks of danger to lives and property of the citizens exist where, due to fraudulent practices on the part of those involved in construction, substandard materials are used in construction.

“On this front, the Lagos State Government realized that the risk faced is in two folds: i.e. risk of lives and property and secondly the risk of the construction being delayed or never completed due to paucity of funds.