Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos on Thursday said the State Governmentwould collaborate with the Federal Government to relocate jetties from residential areas in the state.
Mr. Fashola, during a visit to the explosion site, said it is dangerous to have residential buildings close to jetties.
He blamed the explosion on poor planning and absence of maritime safety standards, noting that it was by pure luck that the inferno did not cause greater damage.
The governor called on those managing the ports to do the right thing, urging them to step up their safety compliance levels to avert a recurrence.
“All federal agencies having business at the port must step up their safety compliance levels. Everybody must do its job and that is in the short term.
“The long term is to relocate all this facilities from residential areas and Lagos is ready to provide these facilities .
“We have an Oil and Gas section in the Lekki Free Trade Zone and we can work together if the Federal Government tells its agencies, in the short term to begin a relocation plan with us,” the Lagos State Governor said.
Mr. Fashola said he had once sold the idea to the Federal Government under the administration of late President Musa Yar’ Adua, and that nothing had been done on it yet.
He said the state government will continue to strengthen the capacity of emergency agencies to respond to fire incidents and urged residents to take safety precautions against fire.
“The weekend before the end of 2012, we had 22 fire incidents and the number is increasing, but I am sure all these are avoidable.
“People can just be a little more careful in dry weather, the biggest risk that we face is fire. In raining season, the biggest risk is flood.
“If we manage through this season properly, we would have less incidents and we would also be able to respond,” he said.
An explosion occurred at Tin Can Island Port on Wednesday when a barge carrying petrol was trying to discharge its cargo at the MRS jetty.
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