FACILITY FOCUS: The Illusion of Safety: Nigeria Builds Big but Prepares Small

Kenny Akintola

Nigeria builds like a country chasing architectural awards glass towers, mega markets, waterfront routes, luxury estates, shining bridges. But when emergencies strike, the real inspection begins and too often, we fail it. Not for lack of courage, but for lack of preparation.

We invest heavily in concrete and steel, but lightly in safety systems, HSE training, and emergency readiness. So when disaster happens, panic becomes the first responder and confusion becomes the command center.

Consider January 30, 2023 Lagos Island, when a major fire tore through a three storey building of fabric and jewellery shops on Nnamdi Azikiwe Street. Traders watched decades of work burn in hours. Access roads were tight, response movement was difficult, and firefighting logistics were strained. In emergency management, minutes save or cost lives. Here, minutes fought traffic.

On Broad Street, Lagos Island September 16, fire broke out at Afriland Tower, a commercial high rise with banking and corporate offices. Videos showed panic, unsafe escape attempts, and confused occupants. Responders worked, but many building users clearly did not know evacuation procedures or emergency protocols. Beautiful tower. Fragile readiness.

At Balogun Market December 24, fire engulfed GNI House on Martins Street, spreading through floors packed with combustible goods. Multi-storey markets operating like vertical warehouses but without vertical safety systems. By the time the fire was controlled, the losses were both human and economic.

Then the waterways our so called alternative transport solution became danger zones.

During Detty December December 24, 2022 a passenger boat capsized in the Ojo/Badagry axis of Lagos. Rescue response was slowed by limited marine emergency capacity and weak safety enforcement. Which raises hard questions we should not avoid:

How can there be festive December events without functioning fire and emergency services stationed at major venues?

How can a critical corridor like the 3rd Mainland Bridge operate at such high volume without positioned rapid emergency response coverage?

How can we promote waterways without trained marine emergency and fire rescue personnel actively patrolling routes?

On land, structural failures tell the same story of weak prevention.

On July 12, 2024 Saints Academy, Busa Buji, Jos, a school building collapsed while students were in class. Neighbors became first responders, digging with bare hands before coordinated rescue scaled up. We saw this horror before in Ita Faaji, Lagos Island March 13, 2019, where a school inside a distressed building collapsed and killed at least 20 people many of them children. The warning signs existed. Enforcement did not.

Even near misses speak loudly like the Ikorodu classroom block collapse in January 2026, where survival came by luck, not system strength.

Across incidents, the pattern is stubborn:

               •             Slow response times

               •               Weak inter agency coordination

               •             Poor access planning

               •               Inadequate equipment

               •               Minimal HSE training

               •             Low public emergency awareness

We have emergency numbers 112 and 767 yet public awareness remains so low that many people call friends first and responders later.

From a residential facility management perspective, one lesson repeats itself: training saves lives. I always encourage full resident participation in HSE and fire safety training because a fire can start anywhere  a kitchen, a socket, a generator point. One person who knows how to properly use a fire extinguisher can stop a small outbreak from becoming a building disaster. A simple hands-on tutorial can be the difference between minor damage and total loss.

So how do we build skyscrapers without budgeting mandatory HSE programs?

How do we commission luxury developments without funding quarterly drills?

How do we approve markets, schools, event centers, bridges, and transport routes without embedded emergency coverage?

Prevention may not trend online, but it saves lives offline.

Nigeria does not lack brave respondersit lacks enough trained responders, enough decentralized stations, enough equipment, and enough everyday preparedness inside buildings and communities. Until safety grows at the same speed as construction, our skylines will continue to rise above systems that are not ready to protect the people inside them.

As we reflect on these painful incidents, we extend heartfelt condolences to every family that has lost a loved one in these tragedies. No statistic captures that depth of loss, and no policy debate replaces a human life. May the bereaved be comforted and given the grace and strength to heal in this difficult time. Let these losses push us toward better systems, deeper responsibility, and greater care for one another. Let us choose preparedness over negligence and unity over blame. Let’s make love, not war and may everyone step into a safer, stronger, and more compassionate New Year. Happy and joyous New Year, till next time stay safe.

Kenny Akintola, Chief Facility Officer, EBS