The Chairman of United Bank for Africa Plc, Tony Elumelu, has mourned six employees who died in the Afriland Towers fire incident on Tuesday at Broad Street, Lagos and cut short his trip to the United States of America.
In a memo to all group staff, which he personally signed, Elumelu directed a minute’s silence for the dead at noon on Wednesday.
The Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, who was on his way to the US for the United Nations General Assembly, wrote: “I am shattered by yesterday’s devastating incident at Afriland Towers that took the lives of our dear colleagues.
“No words 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.
“As we navigate this grief, I urge you all to reach out to those who are receiving care.
“In the coming days, we will convene colleagues in a memorial 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’s 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 building houses several subsidiaries of Heir Holdings, including Afriland Properties Plc, a branch of UBA Plc and a Federal Inland Revenue Service area ofice.
