Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Jubril Gawat, has blamed the Lagos State Government’s response to Wednesday’s skyscraper fire on panic and poor coordination.
He stated this after four officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) lost their lives in the incident.
Reacting to criticisms of the government’s handling of the tragedy, Gawat admitted that although Lagos has invested in emergency response systems, the situation on the ground was poorly managed due to overwhelming smoke and confusion.
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“Lagos State Government has this and we have used it several times for emergencies. What happened today is not just about this.
“The smoke was so much (even more than the fire itself) and everyone was in an expected panic mode,” he said.
The governor’s aide stressed that while facilities exist to tackle emergencies, the response to the high-rise blaze exposed lapses in execution.
He added that even private companies within the same district have fire response mechanisms that they often deploy in support of rescue efforts.
The inferno, which engulfed the building, left four FIRS officials dead and several others injured.
Emergency workers had battled to contain the blaze, but efforts were slowed by heavy smoke that hampered visibility.
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