Ijebu-ode: Stakeholders from the six South-West states on Tuesday converged on Ijebu-Ode for a three-day multi-sectoral emergency preparedness workshop to address flooding and other emergencies bedeviling the region.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the workshop was organised by the Oyo State Government in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Presenting a paper, UNICEF’s Emergency Specialist, Abuja, Mr. Olayinka Afolabi, linked recurring flooding and cholera outbreaks in many south-west states to poor sanitation and open defecation. He noted that a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) risk analysis identified Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, and Osun as states vulnerable to cholera due to sanitation challenges.
Afolabi highlighted data from NEMA’s countrywide risk analysis, revealing that 64 suspected cholera cases were recorded as of week 30 (July) with no fatalities, representing a 0.0 percent case fatality rate. He added that this figure showed a 74 percent decrease compared to cases reported in week 29. Cumulatively, from week one to 30, 113 deaths have been reported with a case fatality rate of 2.4 percent from 4,708 suspected cases. In total for 2025, 35 states have recorded at least one suspected case across 199 local government areas.
Afolabi emphasized four planning processes for emergency preparedness: risk analysis, scenarios, anticipated response, and preparedness. He noted that emergencies are part of human existence, but lack of preparedness and response exacerbates the impact on communities and hinders recovery efforts. He stressed the importance of focusing on reducing disaster risk and improving preparedness, urging governments at all levels to equip agencies managing disasters and support emergency preparedness. He explained that spending two dollars on emergency preparedness can save between six and eight thousand dollars that would otherwise be spent if the emergency occurs.
Mr. Oluwasola Olanipekun, UNICEF Planning, Monitoring, and Reporting Specialist, outlined the objectives of the workshop, stressing the need for activating contingency plans backed by effective response. Olanipekun stated that the workshop aimed to strengthen coordination of emergency management across south-west states while ensuring that children and women-the most vulnerable groups during crises-remained a priority in all response efforts. He emphasized the importance of activating plans for effective response once an emergency occurs and tasked each state to adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures for coordinating response to emergencies.
In his welcome address, Mr. Rotimi Babalola, the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Information and Orientation, highlighted the goal of the meeting to strengthen the collective readiness of key stakeholders in emergency response. He noted that emergencies require timely, coordinated, and multi-sectoral action, hence, the need for preparedness. Babalola urged participants to actively engage in discussions, exchange ideas, and translate the outcomes of the workshop into actionable measures in their respective states. He remarked that emergencies do not give prior notice and demand timely, coordinated, and multi-sectoral action. The workshop provides a unique platform to share knowledge, review strategies, and build stronger collaboration across sectors and states.
