EKO BRIDGE FIRE OUTBREAK: LAGOS GIVES SQUATTERS 48 HOURS NOTICE TO VACATE AREA

oolasunkanmi2
March 23, 2022

Following the morning fire incident that engulfed some makeshift shops and containers under the Eko Bridge at Oke Arin, Apongbon on Wednesday, thereby affecting some parts of the bridge, the Lagos State Government has issued a 48 hours notice to squatters under the Bridge to vacate the area.


The Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business Districts, Mr. Gbenga Oyerinde, issued the directive to illegal occupiers during his official visit to the scene after the fire had been extinguished and the removal of debris had commenced.


Oyerinde decried the illegal activities of squatters, traders who store items beneath the bridge and engage in other business transactions, warning that anyone caught flouting the directive to stay clear of underneath the bridge will be arrested and prosecuted.


In his words: “The issue of fire outbreak under the Eko Bridge at Oke Arin may become endemic if adequate steps are not taken to forestall future occurrence due to negligence and non-adherence to safety protocols by traders, leaders of the market associations and CDAs after several engagements on the need to take issues of safety seriously”.


Commending the men of the Lagos State Fire Service for the quick response and putting out the fire fastidiously, the Special Adviser averred that the cause of the fire outbreak has not been fully ascertained, but suggested that it may be due to the storage of explosive and combustive materials in some of the containers stored under the bridge.


Oyerinde visited the scene of the incident alongside the Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu and other State Officials.

https://lagosstate.gov.ng/blog/2022/03/23/eko-bridge-fire-outbreak-lagos-gives-squatters-48-hours-notice-to-vacate-area/?fbclid=IwAR06ORZFSf5MBZaI5okzPFOiAZ7ILZKCLUTqaEEAkexG8yEoTaRghg_XAsE


Mr. Gbenga Oyerinde, Special Adviser on CBD (in red strip cap) and other officials during the visit to the scene of the fire incident at Apongbon.

Mr hardluck has attracted Government quitnotice for the neighbours.

Lagos with their underbrigde residents


Make them go find another bridge occupy

Oke Arin Market.

Many of them are from one part of Nigeria.
Thousands of them are already on their way to Lagos, Ibadan, Kano even Maiduguri this morning.
They are called children of hates!!!!

An unfortunate incident.

The traffic closure of that bridge will cause eh...light and love to all who commute that route.

The government all of a sudden is playing to the gallery feigning ignorance as if they never knew squatters have been occupying under the bridge illegally since time immemorial...smh

It will Interest u to know that the government collects rates/taxes from these traders. Now yawa Don gas they are forming team proactive.Anyways it’s better late than never if that will avert future occurrences,

The government should not stop at this apongbon but eject those in other under bridges , the mechanics using the place as workshop at obalende, iponri underbridge used as carwash, and other parts of Lagos

There are better ways the government can evacuate people from street especially from this particular area. Although, we know the people from the part of the country that dominate the area.

Vacate to where na, I guess to other areas to begin crime.

Nigerian government sha! They never see anything coming till it comes then they react to the situation, most times with impractical solutions.

A wise nation won’t wait for a fire outbreak or disaster before acting, but no Nigeria will wait till it happens first and be forming that they are on top the situation

Only Fashola made Laws and ensured the enforcement. You people will make laws and will not follow through in enforcement. About two years ago motorcycles were banned in some part of Lagos, barely 3 months later they returned and now constitute serious nuisance all over Lagos, even on expressways riding against traffic.

From Mile 2 to Second rainbow down to Oshodi you’ll see bikes plying one way and parked on the expressway, nobody is saying anything or doing anything cos of nonsense politics. These guys cannot ride bikes in the North they came from cos they’ve been banned in most northern states but here in Lagos when you try to arrest them, they gang up to attack the police and even killing some in worst cases.

Lagos state government really need to check these guys and control this their silly activities.

treamabenh:
If they have homes they won’t be crashing under the Bridge na, the government have failed the people, everyone in government knows they’re a big failure, it’s their egos that won’t allow them admit.

You are wrong, the gt didn't fail these people.

Abi, how would you justify the actions of some people who left their villages and towns in other states moved to Lagos and bigger cities only to start living in shacks, on water, under the bridge etc. The govt didn't fail this set of people, they failed themselves.

Moving to bigger cities when there is no house, no one you are going there to live with only to start living under the bridge is a crime.

Occupying a bridge and making it a home or market is a crime anywhere. If na serious city by now that area would have been cleared, they won't even be there in the first place, when they are caught na cell straight.


I know what Fashola would have done if he was the governor. No serious gvt would tolerate that.

The govt didn't fail this set of people, they failed themselves for emphasis

Good one.. Vacate all of them.

Rural-urban migration is one of the most distressing problems facing the Nigerian socio- economic development and rural development is the solution to the problem. Even though these people appear helpless, homeless, hopeless, I still think they should leave their "under bridge" homes for safety reasons at least. Everyone can't relocate to the cities, our state governors should begin to take development of rural areas more seriously to reduce the rural-urban migration. If your state is habitable, just migrate to your own state capital at least, why migrate from thousands of kilometers to come and live under the bridge in faraway Lagos? It is well

treamabenh:
If they have homes they won’t be crashing under the Bridge na, the government have failed the people, everyone in government knows they’re a big failure, it’s their egos that won’t allow them admit.

Not everybody must stay in Lagos. This nonsense attitude of sleeping under the bridges and makeshift ghettos because they cannot afford homes need to end. If Lagos is too hard for you and you cannot see cheaper shelter elsewhere, go to your family home in the village.
The rent per month in a city like NYC is about $1000 per month. So tell me, will you stay on the streets because you cannot afford it? What happened to looking for cheaper shelter elsewhere or simply relocate to another state?

Very good

Let them return to wherever they came from. No be by force to live in Lagos

treamabenh:
If they have homes they won’t be crashing under the Bridge na, the government have failed the people, everyone in government knows they’re a big failure, it’s their egos that won’t allow them admit.

They should return to their villages and start all over.

It's not a must to live in Lagos most especially when they are only constituting nuisance

backnbeta:
Rural-urban migration is one of the most distressing problems facing the Nigerian socio- economic development and rural development is the solution to the problem. Even though these people appear helpless, homeless, hopeless, I still think they should leave their "under bridge" homes for safety reasons at least. Everyone can't relocate to the cities, our state governors should begin to take development of rural areas more seriously

So much sense on this. The rural-urban migration needs to be checked. Every week, thousands of people with no idea of shelter troop into Lagos with the hope of staying anywhere including ghettos, streets and under the bridges. This needs to be curtailed. It is a federal problem though

Buhari don carry em bad luck enter Eko

Dbullet50:
In a sane country, an alternative place will be provided for them to move, but here do I know..

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In a sane country alternatives won't be provided unless they were not living there illegally with a good roof over their heads and not shacks or whatever

The cause of this is because Lagos is overpopulated. Every small space is occupied by shops or illegal homes, kiosk....many people in Lagos come from Lagos neighborhooing states and other states to Lagos to overpopulate the state... that is why local government autonomy is important... through local government autonomy those neighboring states like ogun, ekiti, osun,ondo, oyo states if their communities, villages were developed, jobs and bussiness opportunities are spread to those villages, communities local government areas many of those young boys, that have become hoodlums, agberos in Lagos will not come to Lagos to seek for jobs or bussiness opportunities they would had stayed in their village that is well developed with jobs and bussiness opportunities and work and earn a living in their villages and this will reduce people coming to Lagos and reduce the population of Lagos...so local government autonomy is important it will reduce the migration of people in the village to move or come to city of that particular state

F

Squatters are mostly ewedu eaters, that's good for them. Let me see voice they would use in shouting sai baba again. Let them go to d oshodi under bridge and be staying, when u tell dem that d rate of poverty in their land is alarming they would be shouting IGR.
Mr. Governor, we are still talking about d rate of begging by your people and still want to render them homeless, this is double wahala for d dead body
D gods are wise

treamabenh:
If they have homes they won’t be crashing under the Bridge na, the government have failed the people, everyone in government knows they’re a big failure, it’s their egos that won’t allow them admit.

You are funny, in life, not everyone go get am easy, if lagos hard......... GO VILLAGE

BlueRayDick:
The government all of a sudden is playing to the galleey feigning ignorance as if they never knew squatters have been occupying under the bridge illegally since time immemorial...smh

It will Interest u to know that the government collects rates/taxes from these traders. Now yawa Don gas they are forming team proactive.Anyways it’s better late than never if that will avert future occurrences,

The government should not stop at this apongbon but eject those in other under bridges , the mechanics using the place as workshop at obalende and other parts of Lagos

Your second paragraph is very interesting. I agree absolutely with u. the govt has been complicit in compromising safety and allowing public structures to be used for wrong purposes

Oyerinde decried the illegal activities of squatters, traders who store items beneath the bridge and engage in other business transactions, warning that anyone caught flouting the directive to stay clear of underneath the bridge will be arrested and prosecuted.

We hope they listen.