Fire: Mandilas building remains shut for structural integrity test — Lagos govt

*Says electric welding attributed to cause of fire  l16,700 affected traders lament lAs govt demolishes shanties

THE Lagos State government, yesterday, said the Mandilas building on Lagos Island, gutted by fire at the weekend, will remain shut indefinitely, pending conclusion of structural integrity test to ascertain its habitable status before it can be re-open for public use.

This came as some of LASBCA officials, who spoke with Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that the building might be pulled down if it failed the test.

It will be recalled that the popular 16-storey Mandilas building on Broad Street, Lagos Island, was burnt, destroying items and property worth millions of naira in the process.

Giving an update on the incident, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, said the incident was “avoidable.”    

Olumide said: "The Mandilas building gutted by fire over the weekend will have to undergo a structure integrity test to ascertain its habitable status before it can be re-open for public use.”

How fire started —Iya Oja

The Iya Oja of Atunwase International Market, Mandilas, Alhaja Adeniji Rashidat, who briefed officials of National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA and LASBCA, disclosed that the fire started at about 11 am on the first floor, where an electric wielding was going on.  

Also speaking, the South-West Coordinator of NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, told Vanguard that the fire affected the surrounding market stalls at Atunwase International Market.

Farinloye said: “We had to wait till today (Tuesday) to assess the damage so as to give an exact figure, since the fire had been put out.  

“However, officials of the Lagos State Safety Commission and Building Control Agency were on ground to assess the integrity of all buildings at the scene.

“All structures have been locked down to prevent access to the shop for the safety of traders and the public. NEMA, therefore, enjoins Nigerians to be safety conscious in their activities to protect their lives and property.”  

Affected traders lament

Meanwhile, about 16,700 traders were affected by the fire that engulfed the Mandilas building.

All the businessmen and women in the building, comprising 450 shops, 30 offices, two hotels and five restaurants, were evacuated on Monday by officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, to enable them carry out an integrity test of the building.

Most of the traders of the affected building lamented their losses. 

One of the traders, identified as Agu Versace, estimated the worth of goods that were destroyed at N10 billion, adding that his brother’s inventory was worth N2.5 billion.

Another trader, Mrs Ngozi Chigozie, said: “My husband owned a shop in the building, where we sold textiles. If the fire had not occurred on Sunday, we would have been able to salvage some goods, but our goods were burnt to ashes. We lost over N25 million.”

On his part, Mr Ochem Nwogu, said he only resumed on Monday from the Yuletide break only to be greeted with such tragedy.

Nwogu said: “I resumed sales last Monday to recoup what I spent in the village. The most painful aspect was that a customer was to come and clear 60 per cent of my goods on Monday, only for everything to go down the drain before the due date. I lost N28.5 million.”

However, others whose shops were not burnt but were forced to evacuate the building to avoid further disaster, lamented that it would affect their business.

A woman, who simply identified herself as Iya Modinat, was seen engaging the services of some youths to evacuate her goods from one of the shops.

She said: “It is so unfortunate that such a tragedy would occur in January. More painful is the fact that I will have to pay daily for the warehouse I am moving my goods to.  Getting one is very difficult because some of the buildings here are still under construction, which makes available space expensive.”

Lagos govt demolishes shanties

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LABSCA, yesterday, commenced the removal of shops and shanties built on roads and setbacks within the Lagos Island Business District, CBD.

The commissioner said the exercise aimed at creating easy access to high rising buildings and offices in the area especially during emergency periods and also to create link roads for vehicle movement to decongest traffic situations in the area.

He said: “Shanties and makeshift shops have no place in the THEMES PLUS agenda of Mr Governor and, therefore, are not allowed anymore in markets as the government has provided designated markets, shops and outlets for traders to do their business instead of coming onto the roads.

On his part, the General Manager of LABSCA, Mr Gbolahan Oki, decried the negative impact the age long practice of blocking roads and street by traders has on easy movement of vehicles and inability of emergency services deployed during critical situations to function and have easy access to where they are needed.

Oki said: “It is very unfortunate that traders and shop owners have taken over major roads and streets blocking easy movement of vehicles within the markets, we cannot fold our alms and allow  this ugly situation go unchecked.

“The Lagos State government is taking the bull by the horns by removing all shops and shanties impeding the free flow of vehicular movement within these axes.

“We are giving shop owners in other adjoining streets to the Mandilas building one week grace period to remove their wares and goods from such offending shops as the state government is resolved to clean up the area.”