By Attah Ede
The Chairman of United Bank for Africa Plc and Afriland Properties Plc, Mr Tony Elumelu, on Wednesday expressed his deepest sorrow over the fire incident at Afriland Towers at Victoria Island, Lagos on Tuesday that killed many staff, saying he was highly devastated.
Elumelu, while mourning his“colleagues”, decided to cut short his trip to the United States of America.
In a release earlier obtained by The Network, the company announced that it has began an immediate investigation into the fire incident at its 6-storey Towers on Broad Street in Lagos Island on Tuesday but did not mention the number of the affected staff.
According to the press release, the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, rented a space in the six-storey Lagos tower in care of Afriland Properties.
In statement Elumelu personally signed, he said he was shattered by yesterday’s devastating incident at Afriland Towers that took the lives of his colleagues.
The statement which was addressed to all staff, Elumelu said, “No word can capture the magnitude of this loss – not for their families who loved them, not for the friends who valued them, and not for those of us who worked beside them.
“Yesterday was a stark reminder of what truly matters: our irreplaceable people, those who walk through our doors each day and share our mission.
“I learnt of this on my way to the US, enroute to New York for UNGA. I have cut short my trip to return to Lagos as a mark of respect to our lost colleagues.”
He further said, “As we navigate this grief, I urge you all to reach out to those who are receiving care.
“In this coming days, we will convene colleagues in a memories to honour the memories of the departed as we provide support to their families,
“I also want to thank all those who supported in one way or the other, from emergency responders and first aid workers to members of the public who showed courage and compassion.
“A minute silence will be observed today at 12:00 noon WAT across all our group companies. May this never happen again in our group.
“May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace.”
The Network gathered that the building houses several subsidiaries of Heir Holdings, including Afriland Properties Plc and a branch of UBA Plc.
