Committee recommends new law to curb firecracker’s use

The Tribunal of Enquiry into the December 26, 2012 firecrackers explosion headed by Justice Sunday Ishola has recommended that the state government should put in place a new law to control the storage and use of fireworks within the state. According to the report submitted to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state, yesterday: “This will forestal future occurrence. The law should also specify the date and location where fireworks can be used. This law is distinct from the law on the control of importation of fireworks under the exclusive act, cap E18 of 2004, which is a federal law.” Receiving the report, Governor Fashola, assured residents of speedy implementation of the recommendations. It would be recalled that the committee was inaugurated on February 18, 2013 and was to submit its report after three months of the commencement of its sitting. The governor at the occasions said: “After the submission of the report, there is yet more work to be done on our part on the report submitted by the tribunal. “We will look into the content of the report, accept what we are able to accept and issue a white paper to declare the parts of the report that have been accepted by the government, the action the state government has recommended and the agency that will be saddled with the execution of the legislation.” “Due to the nature of the report, we will immediately set up a committee that will include the new Head of Service, HoS, Mrs. Josephine Williams, to look critically into the report, to assist the state government to present a white paper on the submitted report. “I want to assure you and residents of Lagos, we will speed up our work on the report and hopefully before the end of this year to precipitate the season when this risk is at its highest.” Culled from Vangaurd Newspaper