Lagos seals 840 event centres – Commissioner

The Lagos State Government has sealed over 840 event centres and social facilities for safety violations and non-compliance with extant laws.

The Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, which revealed this, also noted that safety officers from the state’s Emergency and Fire Rescue agency successfully rescued 376 victims, preserving properties estimated at N152.22bn, but with the regrettable loss of 82 lives and properties N25.37bn.

The ministry noted that its decision to seal the event centres was to mitigate risks and protect the lives and property of the government and citizens.

Speaking during a Ministerial Press Briefing at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre on Monday, the Commissioner, Gbenga Oyerinde, highlighted the achievements of the ministry in the last year.

He said that the Lagos State Safety Commission carried out enforcement action at 840 facilities including event centres, clubs, lounges and hotels, and construction sites for safety infractions in the interest of public safety in the last year.

The sealed facilities included the Lekki Conservation Centre and Quilox, among others. He added that about 7,819 facilities were inspected to ensure safety, with some 5,220 issued with fire safety compliance certificates.

The state government sealed the tourist destination after a visitor took to social media in a viral video to lament the bad state of the canopy walk bridge and some other areas.

Speaking further, the commissioner 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.

“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 four explosions, alongside 607 false alarms.”