NEMA: FAMILY OF FOUR, 11 OTHERS DIE IN EXPLOSION AS SANWO-OLU, DEPUTY VISIT EXPLOSION SCENE
The National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) has reported that 15 corpses including a family of four have been recovered from the scene of the explosion which occurred at Abule Ado area of Lagos State.
While speaking to News Agency of Nigeria, the Acting Coordinator of NEMA in Lagos, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye disclosed that ‘’a couple and their two sons were caught by the explosion on their way to church around about 9 a.m. on Sunday’’
Farinloye said over 50 buildings were affected including a girls’ boarding school known as Bethlehem College and a popular hotel. No less than 60 students of Bethlehem Girls College who sustained various degrees of injuries have been taken to the Nigerian Navy Hospital, Ojo cantonment.
‘’The resulting fire later spread to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation oil pipeline passing through the area even though the pipeline had been shut down as a precautionary measure. The fire was eventually extinguished about 3:30 p.m through the combined efforts of officials of Lagos State Fire Service, Federal Fire Service and Nigerian Navy Fire Tender,’’ Farinloye said.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo Olu and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, on Monday, visited the explosion scene at Abule-Ado, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of the State.
The Governor announced the establishment of the Abule-Ado Emergency Relief Fund worth N2 billion. According to him, the fund will be managed by the Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat and the state government will immediately put N250 million into the fund. The Governor also called on well-meaning Nigerians to contribute to the relief fund.
He said ‘’this is certainly beyond what the state government can undertake on its own. This is beyond what the government, be it at the national or state can undertake on its own
‘’So, what this fund would do is to give everybody the opportunity to be part of it and to be able to donate into it.’’
Recall that the Governor had earlier set up a committee to look into the immediate cause of the explosion at Abule-Ado. The committee which would be headed by the Deputy Governor had two weeks to do an intensive investigation into the cause of the explosion.
The Governor opined that the committee is expected to highlight what needs to be done to ensure that the incident does not repeat itself.
Other members of the committee include the Commissioner for Special Duty as Co-Chairman, the Commissioner for Education, the Commissioner for Finance and the Commissioner for Environment.
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health; Permanent Secretary, Works and Infrastructure; Nigeria Police; Senior Special Assistant on Security, Chairman of the Local Government, Representative of the CDC and CDA
Also, representative of Bethlehem Girls College, Commissioner for Physical Planning; representative of the NNPC; National Emergency Management Authority, two representatives from the host community, among others.
‘’Let me on behalf of the government and people of Lagos state express our condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones, to the children that lost their teacher, to everyone in this neighbourhood that has lost one person or the other,’’ he said.
