The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has deployed the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to demolish the 22-storey Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) building in Lagos Island.
The building was badly damaged when a fire swept through it on December 24, 2025. The demolition is intended to protect emergency responders and clear the site for excavation work.
The development was confirmed in a report by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) via its official X account on Saturday.
What the NTA report is saying
According to the NTA, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu requested federal support to safely bring down the 22-storey Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) building following the Christmas Eve fire.
NEMA officials, led by Director of Search & Rescue, Air Commodore Usman Bature, and Head of Operations in Lagos, Tunde Mohammed, accompanied the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) to the site.
“The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has mobilised the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC to the site of the Great Nigeria House gutted by fire in Marina.
“This is in response to the request by the Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu for federal agencies to give a helping hand in bringing down the 22-storey building to make way for excavation work,” the NTA report read in part.
The report stated that CCECC has mobilized equipment and is awaiting directives to commence demolition. The move is aimed at protecting emergency responders and preparing the site for excavation work.
Backstory
A massive fire broke out on the evening of December 24, 2025, at the Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) building on Martins Street, Lagos Island. The 22-storey building, now ravaged, was widely used as a warehouse for traders dealing in clothing materials.
- The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said in a situation report that the fire started from an apartment on the fourth floor and quickly spread to other parts of the floor, eventually reaching the sixth floor with rapid upward momentum.
- During his visit to the site on December 25, 2025, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu hinted that the building would be demolished once the inferno is fully extinguished.
According to the latest Lagos State Government press release on January 2, 2026, eight people died in the fire, with three bodies charred beyond recognition, while 13 traders were rescued alive.
What you should know
Lagos State’s latest update on the GNI fire incident said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu returned to the site on Martins Street, Lagos Island, on January 2 to assess ongoing emergency response efforts.
The government said the location remains an active site, with firefighters, emergency management teams, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and security agencies still on the ground.
Sanwo-Olu said inspections around the Balogun Market area revealed widespread building regulation violations, including unapproved structures and unsafe installations within high-rise buildings. He noted that these conditions limited access for first responders and heightened safety risks during the fire.
He added that the state would conduct a safety audit of buildings within the affected area as emergency operations continue.
