Sanwo-Olu Elevates LASEMA DG to Permanent Secretary

The Lagos state governor, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu administration has elevated the DG/CEO of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Oluwafemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu to position of Permanent Secretary.

The appointment of Dr Oke-Osanyintolu as pioneer Permanent Secretary, of LASEMA, was announced Friday 18th March 2022 by the Lagos State Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.

In his statement, the Lagos State Head of Service gave cogent reasons for Mr. Governors appointment saying that, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu approved the appointment taking cognizance of the appointee’s track records, outstanding performance, diligence, commitment and selfless service to the State.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Oke-Osanyintolu was appointed pioneer Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of LASEMA by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in June 2019, when he was returned to LASEMA and commenced the restoration arduous journey of the Agency’s lost glory.

Before his return to LASEMA in 2019, Dr Oke-Osanyintolu was appointed Senior Technical Adviser on Disaster Risk Management at the Presidency between 2017-2019, Adviser on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), Adviser on IDP Program between 2016-2017 and pioneer General Manager/CEO Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) between 2005-2016.

As a man of many firsts, Dr Oke-Osanyintolu was pioneer Doctor of Ifako Primary Health Care in Lagos State, pioneer member, Lagos State Emergency Services, pioneer Head of Lagos State Ambulance Services, pioneer General Manager/Disaster Manager for Lagos State and Disaster Manager/Coordinator of State response during Ebola outbreak in Lagos.

He was arrow Head of Doctors responsible for the evacuation of Lagos State Government patients for overseas treatment, Team lead in Emergency Response to the Bomb blast disaster that occurred in Lagos State in 2001,

Dr Oke-Osanyintolu was a team member in the conceptualization and development of the Command Control Centre in Lagos State, conceptualization and development of Relief Camp for victims of disasters in Lagos State and a member of the team that conceptualized and developed the 3-digit emergency number in Lagos State.

He was a team member in the conceptualization and development of the Lagos State response plan, contingency plan and syllabus for emergency/disaster management in Lagos State and a member in the conceptualization and development of First Burns Centre in Nigeria located at the Gbagada General Hospital in Lagos State.

Dr Oke-Osanyintolu coordinated Lagos State response in managing more than 20,000 major and minor disasters in Lagos and other States i.e Ogun State, Edo, Oyo and Borno States such as; Dana Plane crash, Associate Plane crash, a Helicopter crash at Opebi, fire disasters in Ijegun, Abule Egba pipeline vandalization and Abule Ado gas explosion.

He has coordinated several collapsed building operations; at Ejigbo Synagogue Church of All Nations, Ikoyi 21-storey building, Ebute Meta 3-storey building etc, he served in 2010 as the Chief Camp Commandant for 1,600 Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, associated with flood disasters that were camped for more than 11 months in Lagos State.

Dr Oke-Osanyintolu also coordinated the Train crashes at Oshodi and Fagba Railway lines, Oko-baba fire disaster in Lagos State, flood disasters in Oyo, Ogun and the Edo States, collapsed three-storey building in Ogun State, numerous road traffic accidents in Lagos, Ogun, Borno and along the Lagos Ibadan Express Roads.

Oke-Osanyintolu was at the epi-centre of creating the LASEMA 5-year strategic plan which was drawn up after critical assessment of LASEMA’s journey over the years, evaluation of staff, equipment and performance level in tandem with global best practices, the socio-economic development of Lagos Mega City and the fast-approaching Lagos Smart City initiative.