The Chief Executive Officer of HSENations and convener of the African Safety Award for Excellence (AfriSAFE), Mr. Femi Da-silva, has urged authorities to strengthen safety systems and ensure accountability following the fire outbreak at Afriland Towers in Lagos, which claimed 10 lives, including staff of United Capital and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Da-silva, in a statement, described the incident as a reflection of systemic lapses and called for a full-scale investigation into the tragedy.
“As we sympathise with the families, we must hold someone responsible for what has happened, no matter how highly placed,” he said. “Fire management in high-rise buildings starts right from the design stage. Was the building designed with safety in mind? Compartmentation helps keep fires contained, and the use of fire-resistant building materials and fire-rated doors slows down the spread. What about the early warning and quick response system?”

He questioned the adequacy of the building’s emergency response measures and suggested that gaps in evacuation planning and preparedness may have worsened the scale of the disaster.
“It is a failure of multiple systems as just one failure should not have resulted in such a massive loss of lives,” he said. “Without prejudice to the outcome of any investigations, I suspect there was an inadequate emergency evacuation plan in place and it is unlikely that fire drills were conducted regularly, leading to occupants being ignorant of what to do in this kind of instance.”

Da-silva stressed that incidents like the Afriland Towers fire are preventable through proactive safety culture. He outlined measures such as installation of modern suppression systems, routine evacuation drills, and compliance with international fire safety standards as critical steps.

He also pointed to technological solutions, recalling the 2025 Lagos Fire Safety Conference, where advanced fire surveillance and suppression systems were showcased. “At the 2025 Lagos fire conference, we had an expo for advanced fire surveillance and suppression systems that could have stopped this fire,” he noted.

The HSENations chief welcomed the announcement of a nationwide Fire Safety Compliance Task Force by the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service but urged regulators to act decisively and transparently. He further called for an independent probe into the Afriland Towers fire, stressing the importance of accountability.
“As expected, prominent Nigerians have been releasing condolence messages in the wake of this tragedy but we must move beyond rhetoric and begin to collectively take concrete action,” Da-silva said.

He added that fire safety reforms and accountability would be central to discussions at the 2025 Africa Safety Conference and Awards (AfriSAFE), scheduled to take place in Mombasa, Kenya, later this year.
“We cannot afford to wait for another loss of life to spur action. The time for real reform is now,” he said.