The recent fire outbreak that ravaged the popular Apongbon under bridge market in Lagos Island was not an isolated incident. It re-enacted what has become a recurrent spate of fire disasters in markets in Lagos and elsewhere in the country. Luckily, no lives were reported lost, but goods worth millions of naira were destroyed and the bridge, having been weakened by fire, has been inevitably shut down to prevent more tragedy.

Sadly, the disaster was preventable since the traders occupied the place illegally in the first place, as the bridge was not a market in the real sense of it. Government officials, both Lagos and the federal must share in the blame for the incident, having failed or neglected to prevent the unlawful occupation of the space under the bridge.

As it were, taxpayers will be forced to cough out money to carry out necessary repairs on the affected parts of the bridge, a sad development in these austere times when little funds are chasing several projects; and materials’ cost are huge due to galloping inflation. Although officials are making belated efforts to assert control of the space under and around the bridge, it is important that several other bridges across the country being illegally occupied and therefore similarly endangered should be cleared of such hazardous activities.

The trend is worrisome given, especially, the fact that ordinary Nigerians who are wearied by the disasters are confronted with harsh economic conditions in the country. The fires compound the grave unemployment situation in the country after people suddenly lose their means of livelihood.

It is high time governments across the country take measures to stop the increasing incidents of fire outbreaks and the attendant massive loss of human lives and properties. The Apongbon fire started in the night, its cause not ascertained; razed over 100 shops after traders closed for business the previous day. It destroyed goods ranging from foodstuff, generators, electronics to hardware and chemicals. Most of the shops involved were makeshift made of planks and other light materials

The affected traders struggled to salvage what was left of their goods to no avail as the few ones recovered were also stolen from them by hoodlums, who besieged the place. Some traders put the goods destroyed at over N700 million.

“I sell cartons of tomato paste, butter and flour. The goods in my shop alone are over N8 million,” lamented one distraught trader. Another who was reported to be the biggest distributor of the products lamented that her shop had well over N20 million worth of goods.

The fire affected the busy Apongbon Bridge, which made the entire area to be cordoned off. The Federal Government said it would conduct an integrity test on the burnt bridge before it could be reopened to traffic. The situation has expectedly worsened traffic gridlock in and around Lagos Island as the closure of the bridge spilt over to adjoining areas like Iganmu, Orile, and Costain, among others.

Besides the Apongbon fire, there is a need for the authorities and traders to team up and put preventive measures to ensure safety in the markets, as a short term measure, while other options are explored. Regulatory measures need to be strengthened in markets. For instance, power fluctuation, which has been blamed for some of the fire incidents, could be curtailed through stricter rules on power usage and the use of generators.

Furthermore, private security should be beefed up in the markets. Traders, particularly those dealing in cooking and eateries should be sensitised on fire safety, including observance of no smoking.

Although no casualties were recorded, the cost of destroyed properties from such accidents is massive and impacts negatively on the economy and individual livelihood. Insurance cover for people in such high-risk public places should be encouraged. No measure is too much to make the markets safe for Nigerians from fire outbreaks.

The Apongbon under bridge market is not new. The traders have been there for decades. There had been futile attempts and ultimatums by the government to dislodge them. Across Nigeria, such illegal markets abound. Under bridges are converted to markets with underlying corruption. The local authorities as well as miscreants daily collect tax from the traders, sharing the money down the line with some faceless powerful individuals. People claim territories and lord over them with the landlord mentality that gives traders a sense of false protection.

The under bridges can be secured or used for legitimate and less hazardous purposes instead of leaving them to miscreants to control. Beautification, monitoring and control of the spaces are one way to go and not the disorganised manner that pervades the spaces. It is incumbent on government to organise the city and make it smart and functional.

Now that the bridge has been burnt and the Federal Government wants to carry out integrity test, it is expected that this should be done promptly without delay considering the heavy traffic that goes through the bridge corridor. It should not be treated with levity the way the Airport link bridge at Toyota Bus Stop was treated. It took nearly one year to repair one pillar that was damaged after it was similarly burnt by fire caused by tanker accident. The Apongbon Bridge should be repaired with dispatch while the Lagos State Government and Federal Highway authorities ensure that such incidents do not recur.

•FILE PHOTO: Containers with goods still inside burn after a fire broke out at Apongbon market in Lagos, Nigeria, on March 23, 2022. – A morning fire on March 23, 2022 badly damaged a main bridge in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, razing dozens of shops and risking more traffic chaos in the city, the emergency. The blaze broke out during of an extended nationwide electricity shortage, which along with a spike in global fuel prices is already hurting households and businesses in Africa’s largest economy. (Photo by Benson Ibeabuchi / AFP)

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