NLC demands an independent investigation into Lagos Island Fire

The Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) has called for an independent investigation of the new fire outbreak on Lagos Island, which claims at least six lives and made several others injured.

In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, Acting President of NLC, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, described the incident as a tragic consequence of institutional negligence and ignoring safety standards.

The fire, which broke out on September 16 in the six -storey Afrilland building, forced workers to jump from the window in an attempt to despair to escape. The congress noted that the incident aroused painful memories from previous hell on the same axis that destroyed shops, warehouses, and goods worth billions of naira.

“This fire is not a fate accident,” NLC said. “They are the result of systemic rot, institutional negligence, and failure to uphold the rules of safety.”

The Labor Agency questioned whether the appropriate safety steps were taken into account in building design, if workers had received safety training, and why the crisis management system did not exist.

Expressing concerns over recurring fires in the Lagos Market, NLC described the disaster as an “annual ritual” that has not been adequately handled despite a very large budget allocation for emergency agents.

“In Lagos, we see the opposite of safety: fire without water, the collapse of buildings without rescue, and citizens are left without emergency response,” the statement said.

The congress demanded compensation for victims, enforcement of mandatory safety standards, and increasing funding for emergency services, insisting that no workers “left home to work and end up in a morgue because of a disaster that could be prevented.”

The statement further warned not to reduce the tragedy to be mere statistics, emphasizing that “The blood of the workers shouted for justice.”

When praising the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for flood warnings, the NLC urged the body to adopt proactive evacuation steps and long-term strategies to reduce floods related to the release of water from Cameroon.

The congress asked the Nigerians not to normalize the tragedy but to demand functional institutions, accountability, and governance that prioritize the protection of life and property.