The Lagos State Government, in a bid to curb incessant fire outbreaks, has begun fire sensitisation campaign in some markets in the state to educate traders on fire prevention and safety measures.
Places visited included the Timber markets in Oko-Baba, Amu in Mushin and Timber Market in Isolo.
The Commissioner for Special Duties, Gbenga Oyerinde, who spoke at the event stated that the sensitization campaign would be taken to other sectors in the state.
According to him, there is a roadmap for the year, noting that among the road map is the stakeholders’ meeting across every sector of the grassroots.
He added: “Today we are with the timber sector, we are going to go to the mechanics, we will reach out to market places where they sell different things. We will still hold mega stakeholders forum where every interest will be taken care of.”
The Director-General, Lagos Safety Commission, Mojola explained that government officials were at the markets to bring the message of safety to the grassroots.
Mojola said traders should known that to prevent a fire outbreak was more important than to fight fire outbreaks.
“Like they always say, prevention is better than cure. It is better to prevent fire than fight the fire, because when you fight the fire there are so many things that happen. First is the loss of lives, second is damage to property.
“That is why we are here. We are here in the markets to talk to them about fire prevention and safety measures. We have the flyers. We have seen the improvement from where we are coming from,” Mojola stated.
The DG said the exercise would be a continuous one that would see government officials going to all the nooks and crannies of Lagos state.
The Director, Lagos Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye lamented frequent fire outbreaks in the state, disclosing that 2,583 fire outbreaks were reported in Lagos last year.
According to her, the service received 251 emergency calls in January alone.
She attributed the rise in the cases of fire outbreaks primarily to negligence and delayed reporting.
Adeseye said human actions such as improper storage of petroleum products, misuse of electrical appliances, hot works operations, and mishandling gas cylinders remained significant contributing factors.
She added that the state government is intensifying its fire safety awareness campaign across all local government areas, focusing on key public spaces, including markets, hospitals, schools, and religious centres for enhanced outreach efforts.