UNDAC issues a report following Lagos explosions

A UN team issued a report on Thursday following its humanitarian and environmental assessment mission to Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, where explosions at a munitions depot last month left over 1,000 people dead. Based on the 31 January - 7 February assessment in Lagos and analysis of in-country institutional capacity, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team (UNDAC) recommended that in the short-term, the UN country team should continue to monitor the humanitarian situation which, it said, appeared to be largely under control. UNDAC said the country team should pay immediate attention to the expansion of the current "exclusion zone" within the Ikeja military cantonment, where the ammunition dump caught fire on 27 January leading to massive explosions across the city. There is still a significant problem with unexploded ordnance (UXO) and the exclusion zone needs to be larger and more secure, the report said Immediate support should also be provided for information and awareness campaigns, especially aimed at children, about the dangers of touching UXO and what to do if it is found in civilian areas. UNDAC recommended that donors consider funding immediate provision of up to 500 tents and support to the rehabilitation of education services for displaced children. It estimated at least 4,500 people, the majority of whom are military dependants, currently staying in a temporary camp in Lagos and a further 1,500 civilians believed to be staying with relatives and friends in the greater Lagos area. Longer term recommendations included support to relevant federal and state authorities to carry out environmental impact and structural damage assessment, and to clear the site of the explosions. Long-term ordnance issues in Nigeria also need to be addressed to prevent a similar incident happening in the future, UNDAC said.