Lagos explosion: Sanwo-Olu charges residents to make safety their priority

Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has enjoined residents of Abule Ado, the scene of the explosion and fire disaster that claimed lives and several properties destroyed, to make safety their priority, urging them also to maintain a safe distance from the disaster scene as the site is still alive.

The governor made the call in a statement made available to journalists covering the State House, Alausa, Ikeja by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Gboyega Akosile.

According to the statement, the governor also instructed the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) to immediately release personal safety equipment such as face and nose protection masks, which had since been delivered, to be distributed to first responders, residents of the affected area and all safety workers at the ground zero.

It would be recalled that a deafening explosion rocked the western part of the state in the early hours of Sunday morning, followed by a fire incident with attendant effects on the atmosphere.

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Safety agencies in the state were immediately mobilised to the scene of the incident to contain the fire and keep the residents safe, while the perimeter of the fire incident is under control.

The statement said that Governor Sanwo-Olu sent the protective equipment to the affected site to prevent any form of medical hazard such as respiratory infections by the residents who might unknowingly inhale toxic substances from the explosion.

The governor noted that in a situation like this, there would be a lot of unhealthy substances, gas particulate matters that can affect people’s lungs.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, however, reiterated the need for the residents to maintain a safe distance as practicable to avoid breathing in polluted air.

Meanwhile, combined safety teams of the Lagos State Emergency Authority (LASEMA); the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA); the State Safety Commission; the Lagos State Fire Service; the Lagos State Ambulance Services(LASAMBUS), as well as the Nigerian Civil Defence (NSCDC), the Nigerian Navy and the military were among the state and federal agencies currently at the scene of the incident to ensure the safety of residents.