Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu on Wednesday ordered immediate closure of all public schools as a result of thick smoke that engulfed a large section of Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria.

In a statement, Tinubu also called for temporary suspension of academic activities in all public and private primary and secondary schools with boarding facilities.

The gas, which was whitish in color, discomforted the eyes and made breathing difficult when inhaled.

He appealed to companies and institutions to permit their staff with respiratory problems to go home immediately and take care of their health while the smoky situation persisted.

He also appealed to all Lagosians to ensure effective ventilation of their homes and work places by opening their windows and doors so that the smoke would not concentrate in them.

The governor said the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) had dispatched teams of officials to various parts of the city to measure the gas content in the air and trace the source of the high smoke.

According to the LASEPA, the source of the discomforting gas is from the Atlas Cove which hosts Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation jetty from where imported fuel is pumped to southern part of the country.

In a televised broadcast in Lagos, LASEPA General Manager Adebisi Adesina appealed to the public to be calm and assured that the agency was doing everything possible to trace the origin of the gas.

Source: Xinhua