Merchants in Balogun Market on Lagos Island have expressed frustration over the continued sealing of outlets and the barricading of entry roads by the Lagos State Authorities, weeks after the devastating fireplace on the Nice Nigeria Insurance coverage, GNI, constructing on December 24, 2025.
DAILY POST reviews that the inferno claimed eight lives, together with three members of the identical household: Stephen Onyeka Omatu, Casmir Nnabuike Omatu, and Collins Kenechukwu Omatu.
Regardless of intervention by the Lagos State Fireplace and Rescue Service, parts of the hearth stay lively, ensuing within the suspension of business actions in lots of of outlets throughout the bustling enterprise district.
Throughout a go to to Balogun Market, merchants gathered in teams, discussing subsequent steps, mourning the victims, and expressing issues in regards to the extended closure of their companies.
One dealer, Martin Amalos, lamented the financial toll of the shutdown, saying, “My store has been closed since December 25. I can barely present for my kids. Many merchants are stranded and not sure of methods to cope.”
Amalos, who offers in kids’s clothes, added, “The fireplace struck throughout the peak of my enterprise, and I’ve spent all I needed to survive.”
One other dealer, Oduloye Bimpe, criticised the federal government for failing to supply any help. “Our retailers have been sealed with out consideration for our livelihoods. There ought to have been help earlier than the closures. The place can we go from right here?” she requested.
She additionally famous that the affected constructing ought to have been demolished by now. “The federal government must take motion whereas additionally contemplating our scenario,” Bimpe added.
Materials dealer, Maduabuchukwu Ifeakomili, echoed related sentiments, highlighting the monetary hardship brought on by the closures. “We depend on day by day earnings to feed our households. We attraction to the federal government to reopen the sealed sections of Balogun and surrounding areas earlier than Saturday,” he stated.
Ifeakomili additional known as on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to expedite the demolition of the fire-damaged constructing. “There are additionally residents left homeless as a result of their houses have been sealed. A few of us are borrowing cash simply to eat,” he added.
Responding to the issues, the Commissioner for Info and Technique, Gbenga Omotosho, emphasised that the closures have been pushed by security issues. “We hope individuals will prioritise life over livelihood. The 25-storey constructing is prone to collapse, which might endanger everybody inside a 100-metre radius,” he stated.
Omotosho added that the federal government’s actions weren’t punitive. “The realm has solely been closed for 2 weeks, and complaints have already surfaced. There are reviews of people that entered the constructing to retrieve items throughout the fireplace and by no means returned. Over 10 buildings have been affected by the incident, and public security stays our precedence,” he defined.
