THE spate in which live electricity wire has been killing and maiming residents of Lagos State in recent times has assumed a worrisome dimension. A number of people have been killed and maimed in different incidents that occurred across the state. In spite of this, findings revealed that thousands of the residents still mill around high tension wires on a daily basis to do their businesses. The situation obviously calls for serious concern as some of the wires are in shaky states. Worse still, some of the traders engage in businesses that require them to make fire under some of the wires, a situation that can lead to a humungous calamity if such wires snap. Recent calamities caused by live electricity wires Two people were killed bya live electricity wire at Hotel bus stop, along LASU/ Isheri road, a suburb of Lagos State last week. Several others were said to have narrowly escaped death in the incident. The victims, a commercial motorcycle operator and a vendor, were identified as Omoniyi Ajele and Bola Masika respectively. Omoniyi was said to have been electrocuted trying to rescue Bola and her child, Mojisola, who were trapped by live electricity wire that snapped from the pole. He had gone to do his legitimate business on the fateful day when he met his untimely death without any premonitions that he was seeing the planet earth for the last time. As a commercial motorcycle rider, he happily carried passengers from the park to their various destinations but had to stop when there was a heavy down pour. Together with his colleagues, he hid under the zinc of a shop waiting for the rain to subside before they could resume their duties. They could not, however, wait for the rain to subside before jumping into the road. This time around, it was not in an attempt to hustle for a customer. They ran into the rain when other neighbours in the area raised the alarm that a child of one of the traders was in danger. Kayode Alomona, a survivor of the incident, gave a detailed account of how it happened thus: ” I was standing here at our park when there was a spark on the live wire. Everybody started to run to avoid the impending danger. As they were running, one girl fell on one side. The mother also fell on another side. Immediately we saw them, we ran to assist them. We ran around to get spoon and salt. We put these in their mouths to prevent them from closing their teeth together. We were on this for about 15 minutes. ‘’All along we didn’t know that it was electricity shock that made them to fall. So, we continued to battle with how to revive them. we suddenly felt a strong electric pull that lifted us from that spot and threw us violently to the other side of the road. The rest of us narrowly escaped death but Omoniyi was not so lucky. He died immediately.’’ Another survivor, who identified himself as Olaleye Olakanmi, blamed the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company for the incident. He said that the calamity would have been averted if they had not restored power supply when they were attending to the victims. He said: “The power authorities obviously cut the power supply after they noticed that a high tension wire had cut from the pole because there was no power supply when we were attending to the girl and her mother. ‘’In the course of attending to them, power supply was suddenly restored. Every one of us that was on that spot was badly affected because the whole place was electrically charged. Unfortunately for Omoniyi, he was on a spot where the impact was more severe and was killed instantly. The force of the live wire lifted and shook me vigorously. I have just recovered from the effect it had on me and have just resumed working today (Tuesday) after the incident.” His elder brother, who identified himself as Tope, said: “Omoniyi’s untimely death is a big blow to the family. We were together that day. We played and chatted together without knowing that was the last time we would be together. I left the park the very moment it was about to rain. I was sleeping in my house when I got an urgent call to run down to the park. The moment I got there, I saw my brother’s lifeless body on the floor. I couldn’t believe it that the person we played together few hours before that time was the one lying dead on the floor. “He has been buried. The wife and the only child are still back at home. We took him back to our home town in Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State that very day. Omoniyi was schooling at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) before financial challenges forced him to drop out. Thereafter, I brought him to Lagos State to hustle for money to go back to school. Unfortunately, he could not realise that dream before he died.” Prior to the incident, two young men, Afeez and Prince Onyekachi, had their bodies severely burnt by live electricity wire. The incident occurred along Igando/ Ikotun road in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State recently. They were driving when the incident occurred. In the course of trying to escape from the impending danger, they stepped on the live wire and were severely burnt. Afeez was burnt from the navel down to his two legs, while Prince’s right leg and his manhood were affected in the accident. He went to visit Afeez in his workshop when the incident occurred. . The two friends are currently admitted at Gbagada General Hospital for intensive care. Afeez has had the affected two legs cut off after undergoing two successive operations. Unfortunately, despite the amputation, his plight has not abated. He is billed to undergo another round of surgical operations. Prince has also had his affected leg cut off. Fears of worse developments during rainy season Checks showed that all the incidents listed above occurred when it was raining. As a result, some residents of the state have begun to express fears that there may be reoccurrence of similar incidents if the problem is not checked. Olakanmi Olaleye, a respondent, said: “This type of incident is rampant during the rainy season. The one that occurred here at Hotel bus stop happened when it was raining. It was the same with that of Igando. The problem is that most of the wires are old. If you look critically at some of the wires, you will find that a good number of them had cut severally and joined together withthin wires that cut easily in the face of strong wind. They are not firm enough to withstand strong winds. Abiodun Thomson, another respondent, also shares Olaleye’s line of thought. “It is obvious that a good number of the live wires have outlived their usefulness. It is important that the new power managements make conscious efforts to cut power supply whenever it is raining to avert calamities that may arise when a high tension wire snaps from the pole. Traders defend activities under high tension wires In spite of the growing incidents, some traders who spoke with The Nation saw no evil in doing business under high tension wires. Bisola, a food vendor, said she has no reason to be apprehensive about doing her business under a high tension wire. “You don’t have to be trading under high tension wire before such calamity can happen to you. The victims of the incident at Igando were not trading under high tension wires. They were just driving on the road when live wires cut and fell on them. The solution is not in sending the people trading under the high tensions away. The solution is simply in replacing the bad wires and other faulty equipment that can cause dangers.’’ Asukpa Kazeem, a mechanic who plies his trade under a power line in Mushin, said they are not unaware of the dangers. He prayed that they would never experience any calamity. He said: “I have been working here for more than 10 years now, even before the power line was mounted here by the government. After mounting it, they did not ask us to relocate. They only asked us not to bring anything that is higher or closer to it into the place. We are aware of the dangers but we thank God there has not been any disaster and we pray God will never allow it to happen. We want government to do something about it, so we can relocate for safety. Some people do come here to educate and enlighten us about it and we are very careful about doing anything around it.’’ Godspower, a trader at Ojuelegba area of Lagos State, said there shouldn’t be any room for apprehension because they have never experienced such incident in the area. “There has not been any disaster since I have been trading here five years ago. Most people trade or work under them to avoid begging under the street or doing illegitimate business or being idle. Those who trade under electric poles and high tension wires should continue managing there if they have not incurred any disaster or accident, but if they find a suitable place, they should relocate.’’ Segun Adeboye, a mechanic under a power line in Mushin, blamed their presence under the power line on the situation of the country. “The condition of things in our country forced us to start working under this wire. So we are just managing it. If the government creates some other places, we will leave. ‘’The place is dangerous, we know. Everywhere is even dangerous, including your house and even the road. So it is not only here that is dangerous. We have not had any challenges so far and there has not been any incident here.’’ Effect of high tension wire on residents living around it Mr Ganiyu Ahmed, an electrical electronics engineer, spoke about the dangers inherent in living around high tension wires: “The human body is composed of some biological materials like blood, bone, brain, lungs, muscle, skin etc. The permeability of the human body is equal to the permeability of air. But the human body has different electromagnetic values at a certain frequency for different material. ‘’The human body contains free electric charges (largely in ion-rich fluids such as blood and lymph) that move in response to forces exerted by charges on and currents flowing in nearby power lines. The processes that produce these body currents are called electric and magnetic induction. The currents induced in the body by magnetic fields are greatest near the periphery of the body and smallest at the center of the body. ‘’It is believed that the magnetic field might induce a voltage in the tissue of human body, which causes a current to flow through it due to its conductivity around them. The magnetic field has influence on tissues in the human body. These influences may be beneficial or harmful depending upon its nature,” he said. Anthony Obi, another electrical engineer, said it is better to avoid staying under high tension wires because the dangers are better imagined than experienced. “Live wires are no go areas. It is unfortunate that people are allowed to trade or even live under them. The problem we have in this part of the world is that we manage everything even when they constitute serious dangers to the people. Sending people away from high tension wires is not the solution anyway. The solution is simply in identifying faulty wires and replacing them because the dangers are better imagined than experienced,” he said. Efforts to speak with Mr. Pekun Adeyanju, the acting General Manager of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) on the development were unsuccessful. When calls were put through to his mobile line, one of his aides answered and demanded to know the purpose of calling the boss. After a detailed explanation was given, he said the boss was in a meeting. He said the general manager would call back after the meeting. The promise was not, however, kept. Subsequent calls to his mobile line did not go through as the number was said to be unavailable.
