Breaking News: Mandilas Traders Call-Out Lagos Speaker Obasa for Mentioning Only Afriland Tower in Sympathy Message, Ignoring Their Multimillion-Naira Losses to Fire
Traders of the affected Mandilas Market have slammed the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, accusing him of insensitivity for ignoring their plight in his sympathy message over the fire outbreak on Lagos Island.
On the same day — Tuesday, September 16 — Lagos Island witnessed two separate fire incidents. The first occurred in the afternoon at the Afriland Tower, Broad Street, while the second broke out later at night in the Central Plaza, Mandilas Market, where traders lost goods worth hundreds of millions of naira.
In his statement titled “A Call for Safety and Solidarity”, Speaker Obasa expressed concern only over the Afriland Tower fire, commiserating with affected workers and praising emergency responders. His message made no reference to the Mandilas Market traders, who suffered even greater devastation.
The Speaker wrote in part:
“I am deeply concerned about the fire incident that occurred at the Afriland Tower, Broad Street, Lagos Island, yesterday. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, and I commend the quick response of our emergency services in managing the situation. It is crucial that we ensure the safety of our citizens and investigate the cause of this fire to prevent future occurrences. I urge all stakeholders to collaborate in addressing any safety concerns and to support those impacted by this incident.”
The omission sparked outrage among Mandilas traders, who told Lagos Reporters that Obasa’s message felt like “a slap in the face.”
“Does he mean our losses are not important? We lost everything in Mandilas, and the Speaker could not even acknowledge us in his message,” one trader lamented.
Another added that while corporate workers at Afriland Tower received quick recognition, grassroots business owners at Mandilas have been left to count their losses in silence, without visible government sympathy or intervention.
The traders are now demanding that the Speaker and other state officials visit Mandilas Market to commiserate with victims and roll out immediate relief measures.