Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has constituted a tribunal to probe the December 26, 2012 fire and explosion at the Giwa and Okoya areas of Lagos Island.
Fashola said on Monday that the inauguration of the panel represented the commitment of his administration to the protection of lives and property of Lagosians.
The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Sunday Ishola (retd.) is to, among other terms of reference, inquire into the remote and immediate causes of the inferno which occurred when fireworks, allegedly stored in a building at No. 45 Ojo-Giwa Street, Idumota, Lagos, exploded.
The explosion resulted in the fire that destroyed lives and property of residents and traders in Jankara Market.
Fashola said in spite of the inevitability of accidents which, according to him “is a concomitant development of human interaction”, the first responsibility of government was to minimise the accidents by increasing awareness of the people about safety.
“That is why we set up a Safety Commission to prescribe safety guidelines across sectors and also to ensure that the response capacity when the inevitable accident happens is adequate,” he said.
Fashola added that because of the high population of the affected areas the impact of the fire was very severe.
He said, “We hope that the report of your enquiry will explain more to us about what more we should do. Why this kind of substances got here in any event and why it got into residential areas in the second instance.
“We hope that your report will also be able to reveal why, in spite of the notorious difficulties that are associated with our ports, lawful items are much more difficult to clear than prohibited items.”
The governor noted that the December fire was the second of such in the same area.
He expressed the hope that the report of the tribunal would assist the government “in formulating policies that will deepen and strengthen our capacity to prevent a recurrence”.
He said the report the government had at the moment queried the structural stability of that building and the necessity to keep it as it is.
Earlier, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaiye, listed the other terms of reference as establishing and reviewing the legal framework for the importation, distribution and sale of fireworks in Lagos State, and to investigate and report on the use of premises, whether private or commercial.
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