Kayode Tokede
Stakeholders have demanded stronger prevention and stricter enforcement towards hearth incidents in Lagos as report confirmed a complete of 1,685 hearth incidents in 2025 alone resulted in 133 deaths and billions misplaced in property damages.
The stakeholders on the premiere of “Burning Point: Inside Lagos’ Fires”, an investigative documentary produced by CBI News, referred to as for a compulsory hearth insurance coverage for markets and merchants to guard merchants towards losses from hearth outbreaks.
These calls had been made in Lagos the place public officers and different stakeholders highlighted the devastating results of fires on companies, livelihoods and households.
The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, who was represented by the Director-General, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, mentioned the state had expanded its firefighting capability however careworn the necessity for stronger preventive measures, compliance with security necessities and larger public consciousness.
Hamzat mentioned the variety of hearth stations in Lagos had elevated from 14 in 2019 to 29, whereas the federal government had procured 62 new automobiles throughout totally different operational classes to help firefighting, rescue operations and different emergency companies. She added that the federal government had recruited 685 personnel between 2019 and 2026 and supported native and worldwide coaching to enhance their technical competence.
However, he defined that tools and personnel alone couldn’t forestall hearth disasters, stressing that constructing house owners, companies and facility managers should keep protected electrical installations, accessible escape routes and adjust to relevant hearth security necessities.
“The best fire incident is the one prevented. The best fire fought is the one prevented,” he mentioned.
Hamzat added that fireplace prevention required cooperation amongst authorities companies, companies, property house owners, communities and the media, whereas investigations into main incidents ought to set up the causes and determine areas requiring corrective motion.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, nevertheless raised considerations about substandard photo voltaic power merchandise coming into Nigeria as households and companies more and more search options to costly electrical energy and diesel.
He referred to as for stronger regulation by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and different related companies to make sure that electrical and photo voltaic merchandise meet security necessities.
The President of the Ndigboamaka Progressive Market Association, Chinedu Ukatu, famous that obligatory insurance coverage, improved electrical installations and higher market infrastructure had been needed to cut back the influence of recurring fires on merchants and their investments.
Ukatu mentioned merchants typically misplaced their total stock in fires however remained liable for repaying loans obtained to finance their companies.
“A trader who borrowed N20 million to do business. He bought goods. He sells in shops. One spark in the night, everything is gone. He goes back to zero,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the losses might go away merchants struggling to rebuild their companies whereas assembly present monetary obligations.
Ukatu urged the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and the Lagos State Government to work with market associations to make hearth insurance coverage obligatory for retailers, noting that collective preparations might make protection extra accessible to merchants.
“It has been very difficult for me and for all of us as market leaders alone to enforce it. But if you ask me, if National Insurance Commission and Lagos State Government can partner with our association and make fire insurance compulsory in our shops, we are going to work in collaboration with you to get it done,” he mentioned.
He additionally proposed the institution of a Lagos State Fire Emergency Fund involving the federal government, market associations and private-sector organisations to offer rapid monetary help to merchants affected by fires. According to him, the proposed fund might present between N1 million and N3 million to affected merchants inside 28 hours to assist them restart their companies.
Ukatu additional referred to as for the rehabilitation of dilapidated markets, the alternative of unsafe electrical wiring and the availability of accessible roads to allow hearth vans to achieve affected places shortly. He alleged that insufficient inspections, poor infrastructure and the storage of extremely flammable items in retailers elevated the dangers going through merchants.
The market affiliation president additionally referred to as for the coaching of volunteer market hearth marshals to offer preliminary emergency intervention earlier than skilled firefighters arrive.
The founding father of CBI News, Chris Baywood Ibe, mentioned the documentary was meant to maneuver public dialogue past the rapid destruction attributable to fires to the underlying causes, preparedness, emergency response and accountability.
He mentioned the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service rescued 473 folks and saved property valued at N118 billion. Ibe mentioned hearth security needs to be handled as a public security and financial precedence, given the influence of outbreaks on households, merchants, companies and communities.
He referred to as for stronger coordination amongst authorities companies, emergency responders, companies and residents, in addition to funding in trendy tools, skilled coaching, common security inspections and public schooling.
He additionally urged households and companies to make sure that their hearth extinguishers remained legitimate and purposeful, warning that proudly owning security tools was not sufficient with out correct upkeep and preparedness.
The documentary premiere introduced collectively representatives of the Lagos State Government, the hearth service, market associations and different stakeholders to debate measures to forestall hearth outbreaks and cut back their human and financial penalties.
