Burning Point, Inside Lagos Fire: Traders demand fire prevention...

Market leaders in Lagos have urged the state government to shift from responding to fire outbreaks to preventing them, calling for the replacement of deteriorating electrical wiring, better firefighting facilities and compulsory insurance to protect businesses and livelihoods.

President of the Ndigbo Amaka Traders Association, Comrade Chinedu Ukatu, said recurring market fires and the financial burden of rebuilding shops had made preventive investment more urgent than post-incident visits by government officials.

Speaking at the presentation of Burning Point: Inside Lagos Fire, a documentary by CBI News in Lagos on Monday, Ukatu acknowledged the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service’s emergency response but questioned whether earlier promises to deploy firefighting trucks to markets had been fulfilled.

“The government has been good at visiting the markets. That is the truth. But not good at preventing the next fire,” he said, urging the state to prioritise measures that would reduce the risk of outbreaks and limit losses when they occur.

Ukatu called for a partnership between the Lagos State Government, the Ministry of Power and traders’ associations to replace unsafe electrical installations in major markets. He said traders could help identify high-risk locations but would struggle to finance the work without public support.

He also sought financial assistance for traders rebuilding and modernising shops at Alaba and other markets, arguing that support for these efforts would help improve commercial infrastructure and protect economic activity.

The traders’ leader proposed compulsory market insurance to provide a financial cushion against fire-related losses. He also alleged that some traders were being asked to pay before retrieving goods from their shops after incidents, adding to the burden on businesses already affected by destruction and lost stock.

The concerns have economic implications for Lagos, where markets support large networks of traders, suppliers, transporters and other small businesses. Fire outbreaks can destroy inventories, interrupt trading, disrupt supply chains and leave traders facing substantial rebuilding costs.

Speaking at the event, Director-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs Margaret Adeseye, said the government was expanding fire station coverage, establishing zonal headquarters, procuring operational equipment and training personnel to improve emergency preparedness.

She said the 62 vehicles procured by the government included fire engines, water tankers, rapid intervention vehicles, maintenance vehicles and hydraulic ladder platforms. The equipment, she added, must be supported by regular maintenance, effective deployment, adequate training and coordination.

Adeseye said the government recruited an additional 685 personnel between 2019 and 2023 and had supported local and international training to strengthen their technical capacity.

She identified fire prevention, firefighting, rescue operations and personnel development as core responsibilities of the service, stressing that prevention remained essential to reducing casualties and property losses.

Earlier, Founder and Executive Vice Chairman of Baywood Group, Emperor Chris Ibe, urged the media to go beyond reporting fire incidents and examine their causes, institutional accountability and possible solutions.

The documentary, he said, provided an opportunity to examine the human and economic consequences of market fires and encourage practical action on prevention and emergency preparedness.