A senior management official at the Bank of Industry (BoI), Hadiza Oyewumi, has called on the Lagos State government to equip local divers and fishermen as trained first responders in emergencies, particularly water-related accidents.
Oyewumi made the appeal on behalf of grieving families, past and present, who have suffered losses that she believes could have been averted with timely and professional rescue efforts.
Her remarks followed a tragic incident on Friday, August 23rd, this year, in which a 27-year-old woman, described as a promising entrepreneur, lost her life after her vehicle plunged into the lagoon.
Oyewumi said, “The circumstances of the crash remain unclear, but what is more painful is the response that followed. LASTMA and Marine Police were at the scene, but there was no meaningful rescue effort. The reality set in only when her distraught siblings, parents, and uncle arrived, and the officials were neither trained nor equipped to carry out such a mission.”
According to her, “Local fishermen eventually identified the exact location of the submerged vehicle. However, before they agreed to retrieve the body, they demanded a payment of N400,000. In their grief, the family paid not because they were bargaining, but because they wanted her body back for a proper burial.”
Oyewumi stressed that the incident highlights a critical gap in Lagos State’s emergency response system: “The point of writing is simple. We can do better. Can the government empower and equip local divers and fishermen as trained first responders? Can a fund or structure be created so that, in moments like this, money is not placed above humanity?”
She further questioned the state’s preparedness, which prides itself as the Centre of Excellence in this regard, noting that such tragedies expose the shortcomings in emergency management and public safety.
“The Commercial Capital of the most populous black nation must not commercialise human lives. No one prays for such incidents, but preparedness and compassion can make all the difference when they happen,” Oyewumi said.
