Black Tuesday in Lagos
Tony Elumelu has confirmed casualties at the Heir Holdings fire incident
Good morning, Big Brains. My heart goes out to everyone who lost a family member or friend to the fire incident at Afriland Towers, Lagos Island. It’s such a terrible tragedy.
- Margaret
Word count: ~ 1,000
Reading time ~ 5 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Tony Elumelu has confirmed casualties at Heir Holdings fire incident
Tinubu wants Fubara to resume as Rivers state governor
The Big Deal
Tony Elumelu has confirmed casualties at Heir Holdings fire incident
The internet has been trying to figure out what’s real since videos showing a fire breaking out of the six-story Afriland Towers, Lagos Island, went viral on Tuesday, September 16. Some earlier reports suggested that no lives were lost, but Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa (UBA), has now debunked that.
Unfortunately, it has been confirmed that some Heirs Holdings employees didn’t make it out alive. Elumelu confirmed this in a letter addressed to staff on Wednesday, September 17. He described the incident as “devastating,” and admitted that no words could describe the grief of families, friends, or colleagues mourning the victims.
He also ordered a minute of silence across all Heirs Holdings companies on Wednesday and promised to fully support the affected workers and their families.
According to the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS), the fire started in the inverter room in the building’s basement. The emergency call came in at 1:38 p.m., and firefighters from Ebute Elefun and Sari Iganmu stations rushed to the building as fast as they could.
Why is this a big deal?
Lagos has a fire outbreak problem on its hands, and LSFRS itself has confirmed it. Between January and June 2025, LSFRS said it handled 1,072 emergency cases. The agency’s director, Margaret Adeseye, said that properties worth about ₦10.72 billion were lost in the process, with many of the incidents happening on Lagos Island.
After a similar fire in 2024, the state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Oluyinka Olumide, promised that the government would work on “value enhancement” in the state, especially Lagos Island. But so far, that promise has been collecting dust. He has recently made another promise to “bring back the glory of Lagos Island.”
Some residents of Lagos Island told BusinessDay in a report released yesterday that there have been cases where firefighters come several hours after being called. Sometimes, it’s because the stations are far from the accident scene, and other times, it’s Lagos traffic holding them back. This also tallies with the Federal Inland Revenue Service's claim that its safety officials contacted first responders, but “thick smoke had already engulfed the building.”
Unfortunately, FIRS also confirmed that four of its employees died in the same fire at Afriland Towers.
Experts say the Afriland Towers fire shows why the government needs to take city planning and building rules more seriously. They also suggest building fire stations in key locations so emergency teams can respond faster and protect more lives and property.
This advice is especially important because Nigeria has a fire hazard problem that is bigger than Lagos state. The World Life Expectancy Report published by the WHO in 2020 ranks Nigeria 31st out of 183 countries for the number of deaths by fire.
It’s unfortunate that the recent Afriland Towers accident has taken so many lives already, but we hope this sends a strong message to the Lagos state government to invest more in the safety of its citizens.
We send our condolences to all the families affected by these losses.
Tinubu wants Fubara to resume as Rivers state governor
We love happy endings, and today, President Tinubu is playing fairy godmother to give Siminalayi Fubara one
After six long months of emergency rule in Rivers State, Tinubu announced that the wait is finally over.
In a statement he personally signed on Wednesday, September 17, Tinubu said intelligence reports showed “a new spirit of understanding and potent enthusiasm” among Rivers stakeholders to return to democratic governance.
He also added that this was a win for every Nigerian, not just for Fubara, who will resume his duties as governor of Rivers State today, September 18. His deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and the Rivers State House of Assembly will also be returning to work.
Tinubu reminded Nigerians that he only imposed emergency rule in the first place because Rivers' governance had hit what he called “total paralysis.” The governor and House of Assembly were at war, and in the middle of it all, the state’s oil pipelines were being vandalised. But that’s not exactly how we remember things.
The suspension and state of emergency were controversial and built on legislative loopholes. Section 305 of the Constitution allows a president to declare a state of emergency, but it doesn’t give him the power to remove elected officials; however, Jagaban did that and got away with it.
It’s also convenient that the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is now asking Fubara to join the ruling party.
Anyway, congratudolences to the unsuspended governor.
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I’m not buying what you’re selling
One thing President Tinubu knows better than anyone else is hyping a crowd up before and after campaign season. You have to give him his flowers because he’s at it again. This time, it’s through his Special Adviser on Economic Matters, Tope Fasua, who’s assuring Nigerians that inflation is heading towards single digits.
Mehnnn….