The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the government to carry out an investigation into the tragic fire outbreak that engulfed Afriland Building on Lagos Island.
The labour movement also demanded the mandatory enforcement of workplace and public safety standards in all corporate and commercial buildings, with stiff penalties for violations.
While mourning the loss of lives in the tragic fire outbreak, the labour movement decried the absence of proper safety provisions in most public and private buildings in the country.
In a statement signed by its Acting President, Adewale Adeyanju, NLC said that the fire at the building could have been put out if only the building had functional hydrants or if the fire service had water in its tank or a ladder that worked.
“These fires are totally not accidents of fate. They are products of systemic rot, institutional negligence, and the reckless disregard for safety rules and human dignity that have become the hallmark of governance in Nigeria.
“What we are witnessing is not merely fire; it is the fire of corruption, the fire of inefficiency, the fire of collapsed institutions, and the fire of state abandonment of its fundamental duty; the protection of lives and property.
“A fire that could have been put out if only the building had functional hydrants or if the fire service had water in its tank or a ladder that worked. We demand mandatory enforcement of workplace and public safety standards in all corporate and commercial buildings, with stiff penalties for violations.
“ We also demand immediate and independent investigation into the UBA building fire and the Lagos Island shops, buildings and Warehouses inferno, with public disclosure of findings and accountability for all those whose negligence or complicity enabled the tragedies,” the NLC stated.
NLC called for urgent strengthening of fire services and emergency response agencies at federal, state, and local levels, equipped with modern tools, trained personnel
In addition, it urged that adequate compensation should be made for all victims and families of these tragedies, including medical care for the injured and support for traders and workers who have lost livelihoods.
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