Firecrackers tragedy: Union urges Lagos to relocate affected traders

Lagos – The National Union of Shop and Distributive Employees (NUSDE) has urged the Lagos State Government to relocate owners of shops razed by fire on Dec. 26. Mr Kelly Ogbaloi, the president of the union, made the appeal, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday.

A three-storey firecracker warehouse at Jankara market caught fire on Dec. 26, destroying about 10 houses and property worth millions of naira.

NAN reports that following the inferno, no fewer than 1,500 shops in the neighbourhood were shut by the authorities. Ogbaloi, however, said that the closure of the shops was not the solution to the problem caused by the explosion at the warehouse.

*After the fire

“Closing down the shops will not solve the problem; it will further impoverish the traders. “They will not be able to sell their goods; it is an economic loss. “As we look for solutions, I appeal to the government to make alternative arrangements for the traders,’’ he said.

The NUSDE president also advised the authorities to take measures to forestall a recurrence of the incident. “Necessary steps should be taken to reduce the hardships being faced by the people and prevent throwing more people into the unemployment market,’’ Ogbaloi added.