Artisans count losses after inferno at Lagos market

Distraught artisans at a popular tailor market behind the ultra-modern Tejuosho Market, Yaba area of Lagos State on Wednesday lamented heavy losses after fire gutted their shops.

The artisans, who specialise in fabrics, bemoaned that the inferno has rendered many of them jobless.

The Nation learnt fire broke out around 4pm on Tuesday and raged for over seven hours despite spirited efforts by emergency responders including Lagos State Fire Service, the market men and women to contain the fire.

The fire, according to some artisans who spoke with The Nation, emanated from an industrial generating set within the premises of the market.

When our correspondent visited the market on Wednesday, artisans lamented that over 100 shops containing materials, industrial machines, fabrics, worth millions got destroyed.

The affected artisans, who gathered in different groups, wailing, told our correspondent that they were yet to recover from the shock of the incident.

Our correspondent observed scavengers were at the scene to pick damaged materials.

The artisans have called on the Lagos State Government and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila to come to their aid as some of them obtained loans from banks and other financial institutions.

Chairman of the artisans, Comrade Godwill Okorie who spoke with The Nation, appealed to the state government for support.

While expressing shock with the way the fire spread to the whole market within minutes, he lamented that artisans who recently bought materials, and those who stock their shops with materials have been rendered helpless.

He appealed to loan facilitators to kindly consider the calamities and grant them more loans to enable them start off and service the loans.

One of the artisans affected by the fire, Mrs. Barakat told our correspondent that she lost everything to the fire including her industrial machines.

“You can see there is nothing remaining in the market. When the fire started everyone ran for safety, no one could pick their items because the fire raged quickly” he said.

Another artisan, Iya Ibeji, who just got some industrial machines, said she lost everything in the fire and will have to look for another source of income.