Lagos Computer Village fire: Affected traders seek financial support from Gov Sanwo-Olu
Traders affected by the fire outbreak that razed a commercial storey building at Computer Village in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos State have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for financial assistance to cushion the impact of their losses.
Goods valued at several millions of naira were destroyed in the inferno, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday at Somoye Street, Ikeja.
The affected building housed dealers in computers and accessories, a major hub of commercial activity in the area.
The fire, which broke out shortly after midnight, completely gutted the upper floor of the building.
Preliminary reports attributed the incident to an electrical surge following the restoration of power supply. No loss of life was recorded.
When Newsmen visited the scene on Wednesday, scavengers were seen picking through the debris in search of salvageable items, as affected shop owners stood by in distress.
Victims of the incident said they had lost virtually all their investments, including cash, laptops, and other high-value electronic devices.
They also called for improved fire safety infrastructure in densely populated commercial centres such as Computer Village.
One of the affected traders, Chucks, who said he had just restocked his shop a day before the fire, described the incident as devastating.
“I’m one of the shop owners and I’m badly affected. I just brought in new goods on Monday, and by Monday night into Tuesday morning, everything was gone.
“When I got to the scene, we couldn’t access the upper floor. Also, the firefighting equipment was not adequate. The water pressure was low, so they couldn’t pump water upstairs from ground level and had to climb ladders to reach the fire,” he said.
Appealing directly to the governor, he added, “We are begging Governor Sanwo-Olu to assist us with compensation. This is not the first time such an incident is happening. We are taxpayers and we meet our obligations.
“We also want the state to better equip its fire service. We are calling on members of the public to support us in any way possible to help us recover from this disaster, which was not caused by us.”
According to Chucks, none of the traders operating on the affected floors was able to save any item.
“There are about 12 traders upstairs and one downstairs, and none of us recovered even a pin. For me alone, my loss is about N130 million. I deal in laptops, which are expensive items, not to mention other personal gadgets. It’s a massive loss, and we don’t even know where to begin,” he said.
Another trader, Ebere Chimosor, said he lost goods worth over N10 million and also appealed for government intervention.
“I’m one of the shop owners in the burnt building. This has nothing to do with tribe. I’m from the eastern part of the country and I do my business here peacefully.
“All we are asking is for the local and state governments to come to our aid. When the fire broke out around 1 a.m., the fire service tried their best, and they helped reduce the damage. Otherwise, the situation could have been far worse,” he said.
The Chairman of Ikeja Local Government Area, Akeem Dauda, later visited the site to assess the extent of the damage and sympathise with the affected traders.
He the victims of the council’s support and urged business owners to strictly observe safety measures, particularly with electrical installations, to prevent future occurrences.
Text except headline courtesy of Dailypost
