The Acting Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Sabo, says the Agency has saved a total of 4,880 lives, and properties worth about N99.3 million naira, from flood, fire and building collapse incidents in 2023.
The DG made this known during a media interaction at the FEMA Conference Hall in Abuja, on Tuesday.
Sabo said the Agency saved 1,842 lives from fire incidences, 174 lives from building collapses, and 2,864 lives from floodings across the FCT, in 2023.
He added that the Agency saved properties worth N99.3m from fire outbreaks, adding however that the Agency had lost eight lives had to building collapses and flooding incidences.
“Our major responsibility is saving lives and property of FCT residents, and with the full support we are having from the FCT administration, we have been able to save about 1,842 lives, that’s in all fire incidences that occurred within the FCT, and no life was lost completely. And we have been able to save properties worth about N99.3 million, which is on fire outbreaks.
“Regarding building collapse, we have been able to save 174 lives. We lost four, unfortunately, during the building collapse. And in the case of flooding, in total, we have been able to save 2,864 lives.”
The FEMA boss lamented the loss of lives to flood incidents, noting that in most cases, the deaths of the victims were avoidable.
“We have lost four, unfortunately, during flooding. Most of these lives that were lost during flooding, a lot, in essence, were avoidable. In most of these flood-prone areas, we have barricades, and we normally place a sign there, warning people about the issue of flooding in that area. And we have our vanguards that are stationed there 24 hours.”
As part of its achievements, Sabo said the Agency has strengthened the capacity of its staff emergency marshals, and vanguards, and that it had improved its emergency response time from five minutes to three minutes.