15th April, 2015
Akin kuponiyi
Mamman Kontagora House, a 22-storey building housing Federal Mortgage Bank along Marina Street, Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, was Wednesday morning gutted by fire.
The cause of the fire, which was still raging at the time of filing this report, could not be ascertained.
However, an eyewitness said the fire started from the central electricity general plant within the sprawling premises the building is located.
The fire which started from the 6th floor of the building had spread to the 11th floor even as a combined team of fire fighters from 3 Division of Lagos Fire Service Centre were trying to contain it.
The building is occupied by many individuals as well as corporate organisations, among them Diamond Bank, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, NDIC, two senior advocates, Chief Felix Fagbohungbe and Professor Gabriel Olawoyin.
The building, which spans two longest and most popular streets on Lagos Island, Marina and Broad Street, also formerly housed the Federal Ministry of External Affairs.
It was named after former Minister of Works and Housing, General Mamman Kontagora.