Ayodele Olalere
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has vowed to demolish buildings in the Lagos Island market following the fire incident that occurred on Dosunnu Street two days ago which affected 14 buildings.
Governor Sanwo-Olu spoke when he visited the scene of the incident on Thursday morning to ascertain the level of damage done by the fire. At the time of the visit, some of the affected buildings had collapsed while some were still burning.
According to the governor, preliminary reports indicate that the fire was caused when one of traders in one of the residential buildings turned warehouse was fueling his generating set while working.
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The generator was said to have caught fire and in the process, the trader allegedly threw the jerry can containing the fuel into the next building resulting in the fire spreading to several buildings.
The visibly angry governor attributed the incident to ‘carelessness and irresponsibility’ on the part of the traders in the market.
Governor Sanwo-Olu expressed dissatisfaction at the traders’ attitude of turning residential buildings into warehouses and market places where combustible materials are kept.
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He further berated owners of the buildings for building houses too close to each other without government’s approval which he said contributed to the damages done by the fire.
Sanwo-Olu told the traders that the government would wield the big stick by demolishing houses that do not have government’s building approval, adding that his administration would not fold hands and allow careless destruction of properties.
He said the Dosunmu market and other nearby markets would remain closed until the fire is totally put out and the complete clean-up of the market is done.
As a way of assisting affected traders, governor Sanwo-Olu said the government would take stock of the number of shops and traders affected and provide financial assistance to them.
