Fire Disasters: Obi Calls for Better Preventive Measures

By Chioma Ndife

The Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2019 elections, Mr Peter Obi, has called on the government to put in place, preventive measures to forestall the occurrence of preventable disasters in society.

Obi made the remarks following the recent fire disaster that occurred in Onitsha, in which some petrol stations and a gas plant were razed; as well as the fire outbreak at some parts of Computer Village, Ikeja, in the early morning of the next day.

While the immediate causes of the fires were yet unclear, Obi argued that such disasters could be prevented if government ensured strict observance of safety standards in the petroleum, gas, electrical and related industries.

He noted that the citing of some petrol stations in busy residential areas defied all safety standards and endangered life and property within the environment. He urged government, through its monitoring agencies, to ensure that each business establishment met the safety standards, both within the organisation and around the business environment.

‘It is sad how property worth millions of Naira were lost in the fire incidents at Onitsha and Lagos. I do sincerely hope that no life was lost. Such occurrences should serve as a reminder that safety must be prioritized in every line of business and the government needs to ensure maximum compliance with safety standards,’ Obi said.

He urged everyone to be more safety and security conscious, especially in the yuletide and beyond, while calling on the government to equip the fire agency with every necessary support they needed, especially in the current dry season when fire incidents seemed to be on the increase.