Frustrated Great Nigeria House Inferno Victims ,Pleads With Governor Sanwo-Olu For Urgent Intervention

Feeling totally abandoned, Victims of last year’s Great Nigeria House Fire tragedy in Lagos State, have raised the alarm over their fast depreciating mental health and Economic state , lamenting thus – “We Are Dying”.

In a recent SOS Appeal to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State Government , victims and families of the deceased while crying out to Governor Sanwo-Olu to come to their aid , lamented that about 10 months after the devastating fire that gutted the Great Nigeria House on Lagos Island, nobody has come to their assistance.

Calling for urgent government help, the victims lamented that 10 months after the tragedy , life has become unbearable to them.

They bitterly noted that unlike victims of similar incidents in Lagos who were compensated, nothing has been done for them.

Recall that the tragic incident happened on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025, at approximately 4:40 PM in the heart of Balogun Market on Lagos Island.

That day ,emergency teams from LASEMA, Lagos State Fire Service, and Federal Fire Service arrived but lack of adequate water supply and required equipments hampered their fire fighting capabilities ,as the fire raged for more than one week .

The inferno was said to have claimed many lives ,although initial reports had indicated that no lives were lost.

However, after days of search and rescue, the reality was damning ,as confirmation proved that many lives were lost, with several others sustaining critical burns and smoke inhalation.

The economic damage caused by the inferno was said to be massive, as some Importers, retailers, and Instagram vendors, who had stocked up for post-Christmas sales , were reported to have lost everything, even as many families were wiped out financially overnight.

Days after the fire, Governor Sanwo-Olu visited Martins Street for an assessment.

LASBCA engineers had declared the building structurally compromised beyond repair and ordered its total demolition. A 100-metre hazard radius was cordoned off.

According to victims, that was the last time government attention came.
“It is almost one year now and we have not received any help. Our children are out of school, we have no capital to start again, and families of those who died are suffering”, Said a victim who lost his shop and brother to the inferno .

Another affected trader added this : “We saw what happened in Dosunmu Market, those victims were compensated by government. Why have they forgotten us?. We are begging Governor Sanwo-Olu to remember us”.

Victims who said nothing has been done for them , passionately pleaded with government , noting that they are not asking for too much, but just relief funds, business support, and assistance for families of those who lost their lives .

Though, there has been no official statement from the Lagos State Government on compensation or rehabilitation for the Great Nigeria House victims.

However , Stakeholders in Balogun Market are worried that government silence is deepening frustration and hardship in the community.