TheCable

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, has announced the indefinite closure of the Dosumu market over incessant fire outbreaks.

Dosumu market is located in the Idumota area of Lagos Island.

On Tuesday, over 15 buildings in the market went up in flames after a fire outbreak from a petrol generator.

Six of the affected structures completely collapsed.

On Thursday, Sanwo-Olu visited the market to assess the level of damage.

The Lagos governor condemned the conversion of residential buildings into storage facilities for hazardous materials.

Sanwo-Olu said the government will hold those who flouted building and safety standards accountable.

“I will sit around and speak with other stakeholders to hear what amount of support and level of comfort to provide some of the people who were affected,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“We will try and see how we can settle them quickly and get them on their feet. This is an incident too often. It is very condemnable and unacceptable. Government resources are not meant to be wasted like this.

“An integrity test on standing structures is now mandatory, and the market will remain closed until we can ensure the safety of all structures.

“The ministry of physical planning will intensify its efforts to enforce building codes and prevent misuse of residential properties.”

On March 20, a fire outbreak destroyed three buildings at the intersection of Nnamdi Azikiwe in the Idumota area of Lagos.