Lagos Begins Demolition of Balogun Market Building After Being Engulfed In Fire
Lagos state government has begun demolishing the high rise building that was burnt in the recent fire incident at Balogun market. The building which was ravaged in the inferno was marked for demolition after the state governor, Jide Sanwo-Olu paid a visit to the site.
After commiserating with traders whose wares were destroyed in the fire, he made an observation about the need to take actions that will guard against such occurrence in the future.
“This fire incident presents discussion for a complete regeneration of the Lagos Island. Here, we have a lot of buildings as old as a century. Now is the time to look into the master plan for a complete regeneration of the entire area,” he said.
“I have summoned an emergency meeting with all local government chairmen. We cannot condone the reckless approach in which shops are allocated to people in a manner that is not coordinated. When problems arise, they come back to the state government. We will not fold our arms and wait for disasters like this to be repeated.”
Adding to the discourse, the General Manager of Lagos Building Control Agency, Abiola Kosegbe explained that the affected building had to be demolished because some weakened parts had already collapsed.
The General Manager of LASEMA, Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the building will be reconstructed after demolition. He revealed that the policeman who was pulled out of the rubble of the collapsed portion of the building was dead.
