Displaced residents of Ojo Giwa and Okoya streets in Isale Eko, Lagos, where firecracker explosions destroyed properties and killed a teenager on December 26 have appealed to the state government to provide them with a temporary shelter.
Our correspondent, who visited the streets on Tuesday observed that about 21 buildings have been marked for testing by the Lagos State Building Control Agency, thereby rendering no fewer than 100 residents homeless.
According to the notices pasted on the walls of the affected buildings by the Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory dated December 28, the buildings are to undergo a "mandatory non-destructive test" to determine their "present structural stability status."
Some of the residents who had evacuated the marked buildings were seen hanging around the vicinity with a few personal effects in their hands.
One of them, Jibola Ahmed, said she had been hanging around with no specific place to lay her head since December 27, adding that she and her family members now live apart as a result of the development.
She said, "Conducting distress test on our buildings is a welcome idea but evicting us from our homes without providing us with alternative accommodation is unfair.
"All the officials who came here only blamed residents for the explosions and made no mention of accommodation for the displaced persons. It is unfortunate that the state government has left us to suffer after evicting us from our homes."
Another affected resident, who identified herself simply as Iya Ibeji, said she was tired of sleeping on the street since her family was evicted from their apartment.
Iya Ibeji said she had no choice but to take two of her children to her friend's place in Idumota to spend the night on Monday due to the harsh weather condition.
She said, "I'm still nursing the wound I sustained during the explosions and also have no shelter now.
"It's not out of place for the state government to provide us with a temporary relief camp pending the time the tests they want to conduct will be completed."
For Taibat Baruwa, her children's education might be affected as a result of their displacement.
She said, "Apart from my property that have been scattered all around, my children's education now faces an uncertain future. Since we have no place for now, they are at my grandmother's place in Ogun State.
"If government had provided us with a camp nearby, there wouldn't be interruptions in their education."
Meanwhile, about two dozens of policemen were on ground at the scene on Tuesday to forestall looting of property.
