The recent increase in fire outbreaks caused by power surge has left some families homeless and helpless in Ekiti State, raising questions about who cares for the victims of disaster in our society. SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN reports.
The family of Mr. Agbesusi Gbenga, a staff of the Federal Information Office in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, had lived together for over four years in a two bedroom apartment at No. 50 Oke Oniyo street, in the capital until about two month ago when a supposed surge in electricity supply from an electricity distribution company reduced their apartment to rubble.
Safe the few items which the five-member family went out with in the morning of the fateful day, including the family car, the dresses they had on and few other items, all valuables in their apartment including electronics, books belonging both to the parents and the children, academic and professional certificates, and many others went with an inferno which reportedly started about 1 pm but which had ruined the habitation before thick, black smoke oozed from the rooftops (of the apartment) to alert neighbours around 4pm.
There were also reports of the intervention of the state fire department, but this came only too late. A visit to the scene by The Nation third day after the incident revealed charred debris of several burnt objects in an apartment the rooftops of which had also burnt sufficiently to make the skies viewable from most spots within.
“My children’s text books were all burnt. See them; see our clothes; see the Plasma TV”. He kept pointing at objects as sympathies mounted.
The grieving Agbesusi took The Nation round the scene of loss, pointing to charred heaps of assorted garbage lying here and there about the place. “My entire accomplishments in life, my certificates and that of my wife, everything, were burnt, everything”. He lamented
Does he consider outside supports desirable? Yes, he does. He explained he had written letters to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other similar agencies both at the state and local governments, but has not received responses from any as at the time of writing this report.
But Agbesusi, being a public servant, has a steady source of livelihood which makes his story far better than that of Mama Austin, a single mother who nearly three years ago also had her habitation gutted.
Mama Austin, as she is popularly called, now hawks boiled groundnuts about town, the proceeds of which had continued to offer her five-member family what they consider a livelihood.
“My children eat twice in a day now”, she said, adding “Things were not like this when I was doing well in my (fresh fish) business. Now, there are times they will eat and nothing will be left for me to eat. I used to be well to do. Ask anyone around Okesa about me they will tell you. I had money and the business was moving well. The fire came and my comfort ended with it. I was not the only one affected that time. We were many. The entire building burnt that time”, Mama Austin said.
She disclosed she also wrote several letters and visited many government offices, dishing out photographs of the burnt building to no avail.
“I kept moving from one office to another. When you get here, they ask for pictures, when you get there, it is the same pictures. But all the efforts I made brought nothing”, she said.
Speaking further, she said “After some efforts, I decided to stay with my God. He knows why what has happened has happened. Since then I have remained with nothing. I sell boiled groundnut to feed my children now”.
Prevalence of electrical surges and yet no palliatives?
Power/electrical surges are however more common in Ado-Ekiti than the experiences of the two victims. From Okeyinmi to Adebayo down to Basiri on Ado-Iyin road, victims recall their experiences and their loses regarding the inconsistencies of electrical supplies by the distribution companies, a situation which seemed to have become accepted as normal and consequently tolerated.
“Last year”, recalled Tunde Babatunde, “surges occurred around Ajilosun, Bangboye, Ureje, and other areas along Ikere road, for one whole week, destroying electrical appliances of many residents”.
The surge which he said occurred in the early morning of one Saturday ruptured appliances including freezers, fridges, TV sets, radio and video systems, electrical bulbs, standing and ceiling fans, air conditioners, among whole lot others.
Tunde said: The surges lasted a whole week: I mean everyday of the week. It started on a Saturday and many of us were around. Thick smoke came from so many houses at the same time that we thought a bang would follow. The surge destroyed every electrical appliance we all had at the time. Those who were not around the day it started were caught on other days. Many things running into millions of naira were consumed. We approached the NEPA (PHCN) people at the time but no help came. They pretended they did not even understand us”.
The factor of illegal connections
The Public Relations Officer, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) covering Ondo and Ekiti states, Mr. Ilori Kayode-Brown, who attributed the surges to too many illegal wiring and connections in the communities, clarified that “as yet, the Company has no structure or plan to offer victims any form of assistance. It may be possible tomorrow. But today, there is nothing like palliatives for supposed victims of power surges.”
Ilori explained that residents across the communities were in the habit of illegally increasing the number of phases they obtained. “They would apply for and obtain a single phase (power source) but would increase same to two or three using unlicensed artisans and substandard products”, he said.
His words: “So many of our consumers have been discovered to increase the phases they obtained officially through crooked means. They would apply and obtain one phase and after such has been fixed by our office, they go behind and increase it by themselves to three. The end of it most times is always devastating”.
According to him, potential customers were often advised to contact licensed contractors to certify the wiring of their houses to ensure things were done properly, adding that “wiring houses is not the responsibility of the electricity distribution company”.
His words: “Experience has shown however that because the customers want to cut corners, they seek unlicensed but cheaper contractors. When things go wrong and fire occurs, they blame things on us.
“Mistakes done by unlicensed wiring contractors caused upsurges most times. When people increase the phases through which they get supply, problem can occur and they still blame things on us. Our brief is to supply electricity, not to wire or electrify houses”, Brown said.
But Mr. Ayoade Abiodun, electrical installation specialist in Ado Ekiti however maintained it was wrong to attribute all surges to illegal connections by so-called unprofessional wiring practitioners.
Accordoing to him, “All power surges have their source from the transformers which are owned by the distribution companies. Electrical supplies from the source are first received by the transformers before people can receive it in their houses. If a transformer has any fault, it will show it by supplying low current, high current or fluctuating current. Other times it may bring no current. Who should rectify faults in the transformers when they develop faults? All the three situations except when there is no light at all can cause damages”, he said.
He admitted that some of the contractors desirous of cutting corners, use sub-standard products often for unsuspecting customers which do aid faults in connections, adding “But it will be wrong to say that the surges owe always to illegal connections”.
Ayoade maintained there were times when officials of the company disconnect electrical sources to homesteads but do it in such a hurry and shoddy manner that some of the cables would fall on other cables which do cause problems for residents as well”.
Disaster responses by agencies
But disasters, according to officials of agencies responsible for their management could be controlled or curtailed and victims offered palliatives, even up to 50 per cent of their destroyed valuables.
The Agencies, specifically National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) have always existed and do make claims of instituting palliatives for the needful across the state.
Findings have however shown that many haven’t, as yet, felt their impact and/or relevance and those who do have recounted experiences of failed bids to secure succor from them when needed.
In an interaction, the General Manager, SEMA, Mr. Femi Osasono, speaking through Mrs. Adebanjo Adebanke, clarified that the Agency may not restore valuables burnt or consumed in disaster situations wholesale but provide materials and supports as assessed necessary to keep victims going to cope minimally with life without suffering or experiencing neglect.
His words: “We don’t build houses for people if such gets burnt, but there are what we call palliative measures. We visit the places with specialists from other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and make assessments.
“In a situation in which you have entire habitation destroyed either by fire or flood or any other thing, we have makeshift areas for victims’ immediate resettlement. This is to allow them cope with life minimally. Materials including mattresses, clothing materials, food stuffs and some cash assistance are supplied them.
“That is if the victim happens to be a tenant. If it is the house owner, we give him cement, cash assistance, nails, and roofing sheets, even planks up to 50 per cent of valued cost of repairs.
In cases of agricultural loses, Osasono added that the Agency partners agric departments who would visit the farms and make assessments. “It is an inter-ministry agency. We don’t work alone. So we network, depending on the situation, Agriculture, health, environment, even State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in cases of cholera outbreak”, he said.
Also, according to Mrs Ojo Bolanle, Assistant Head, Ekiti Operations Office of NEMA, covering Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states, disaster management is more effective in communities and situations where the first responder (the first to notice the occurrence) acted promptly and usefully to alert others and institute help moves.
She noted residents in the communities are always encouraged to be alert to occurrences around them to be helpful during outbreaks.
Her words: “If my kitchen caught fire in my absence, if my neighbour responds promptly, we may not need other secondary responder which we as an Agency are. But rather than wait and allow situations to get worse, people are always encouraged to dial 122 and a response will come promptly’, Ojo said.
Are sensitisation programmes yielding enough?
Findings by The Nation across communities reveal many were yet to know of the presence of Agencies involved in instituting palliatives for the needy lot in situations, despite the claims by both SEMA and NEMA of “a lot of sensitisation and enlightenment programmes’.
”We go out often to warn people about disasters”, Osasono said, adding “We also do jingles on radio and TV to raise awareness in communities, most especially on fire and flood outbreaks. In this regard, the current administration has been very supportive and forthcoming in its responses to requests from our Agency”.
