Why over 840 Lagos event centres were shut down in one year

The Lagos State Government announced on Monday that, over the previous year, it had closed over 840 social facilities and event centers due to safety violations and noncompliance with the state’s current regulations.

At a ministerial news conference in Ikeja, Lagos, Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Gbenga Oyerinde, made this known.

The commissioner stated that the Lagos State Safety Commission has enforced safety regulations at those locations in the interest of public safety.

The social facilities include hotels, clubs, lounges, event centers, and construction sites.

Oyerinde added that about 7,819 facilities were inspected to ensure safety, with some 5,220 issued with fire safety compliance certificates.

He also said that the Commission, through its environmental safety has also carried out not less than 365 advocacy initiatives.

In his words: “To mitigate risks and protect life and property of government and citizens of Lagos State, our ministry has sealed eight hundred and forty event centres and social facilities for safety violations and non-compliance of extant laws.”

The Commissioner also disclosed that the fire safety officers from the States Emergency and Fire Rescue body successfully rescued 376 victims, preserving an estimated property worth of N152.22 billion, albeit with a regrettable loss of 82 casualties and N25.37 billion in property.

He also revealed that additional fire stations were added in Ibeju Lekki, Ifako Ijaiye, among other locations across the state.

He said: “In line with efforts to bolster infrastructure, three new fire stations are nearing completion in Ijegun-Egba, Satellite Town, and Ijede, while an ultramodern workshop at the Alausa headquarters is nearly finished to cater to the agency’s fleet maintenance needs.

“Additionally, land spaces have been identified for the development of additional fire stations in Ibeju, Lekki and Ifako Ijaiye,” he said.

He added that the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service had prioritised fire mitigation and emergency response strategies.

“The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is sustaining its focus on enhancing fire mitigation and emergency response strategies, aligning with the administration’s THEMES Plus Agenda. Under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a collective effort was emphasised to address the challenges posed by fire incidents effectively.

“Key statistics from the year’s emergency calls revealed a total of 2,537 incidents, including 1,627 fire calls, 191 rescue calls, 93 salvage calls, and 4 explosions, alongside 607 false alarms.

“This highlighted the critical need for increased awareness of fire safety measures to combat the impact of negligence and non-compliance with safety codes,” he stated.