- I empathised with victims, says ex-VP •Obi visits governor
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde yesterday castigated former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for showing no empathy for victims of the Ibadan explosions.
Five people died, 77 injured and 58 buildings damaged, rendering hundreds of people homeless as a result of the blast from illegal mining explosives.
Speaking when he received former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi who visited to condole with him on the incident, Makinde said: “You came here to commiserate with us over the explosion. Actually, investigation is going on. It was simply illegal miners storing explosives in an environment where they shouldn’t be.
“It is a place where it’s meant for people to live in. It’s not a mining site. So, all the lapses that allowed such to happen had been looked into.
“I am particularly grateful because, the musketeers that went for the presidential election have reached out to me. The President has called me. You have reached out to me. But my own party candidate (Atiku Abubakar) has not called or even sent a text message.
“And I am saying it openly, so that our leaders will know that there is time for politics. You have a time for governance and you have a time for humanity.”
But Atiku, through his spokesman Paul Ibe, said he sent his condolence to the government, people and the victims, contrary to what the governor said.
Obi said: “Through the governor, we want to extend our condolences to the bereaved families and to all those who lost their valuable property in the incident and to assure them of our prayers that God will grant those who lost their lives eternal rest.
“And we want to thank the government for its prompt response and that is what governance has to be.”
Reflecting on the economic situation of the country and it’s effect on the masses, Obi urged the Federal Government to make sacrifice by cutting the cost of governance.
He said: “All of us are now involved and all of us should work hard and make the necessary sacrifice to see that we turn around the situation.
“It’s a matter of sacrifice. Today, elections are over, governance is the key thing and what is required for me, is to cut down on the cost of governance especially at the federal level. It is unacceptable the way it is going. We need to prioritize critical areas such as education, health and pulling people out of poverty.”
Atiku: I commiserated with victims
Atiku said he commiserated with the victims within 24 hours of the incident, recalling that he issued a statement on the explosions.
He refuted Makinde’s accusation that he was indifferent.
The statement said: “With due respect to Governor Seyi Makinde, we wish to correct his expression about the response of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to the recent explosion in the city of Ibadan.
“Atiku Abubakar made a condolence message about the Ibadan explosion, less than 24 hours of its occurrence, where he shared his commiseration and empathy with the good people and government of Oyo State over the incident.
“Perhaps, the Governor has been too busy to take track of media reports on the incident. But we wish to put on record that on the 17th of January, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar did make a widely available message on the Ibadan incident, which reads as follows:
“I wish to express my condolences to the good people and government of Oyo State over the explosion that rocked the capital city of Ibadan late yesterday night.’
“While the government continues to provide humanitarian support to victims of the explosion, I commiserate with the families of those who might have lost their lives and property to the explosion.”
How we’ve been coping, by victims
Some victims of explosion have hard tales to tell because of their harrowing experience.
The victims, who live at Dejo Oyelese Street, the epicenter of the explosion, said life has been challenging for them since the incident.
A victim, Mr Taiwo Salami, said his life and that of his family have never been the same again, as they had to squat with his brother because his house had been damaged by the explosion.
Salami said his wife, who was badly injured due to the blast, had just left the hospital.
He said: “My wife was injured because the burglar proof got removed from the window and pinned her to the wall, thus rendering her completely unconscious. We didn’t even know that she was bleeding on her leg.
“My daughter was on the bed when the whole ceiling just collapsed on her and she had to find her way out of the debris. She looked for her mum and dragged her out.
“There were broken glasses everywhere, but they didn’t even care when they came of the debris, as everything had been blown off.
“The car had been damaged and she could not drive it. She dragged her mum down the road and she was looking for anybody who could help to take her to the hospital.”
Salami said his business outlet was also damaged along with his house, adding that life has been extremely difficult for him and his family.
He added: “You were already used to your comfort zone, but now, you have to be squatting. You don’t know where your belongings are. It is a very terrible situation.
“Life is extremely difficult, especially for the older ones who have lived in their houses for 40 to 50 years. Where are they going to go now?
“It is also devastating for the younger ones, as they have been mentally-traumatised by the incident.
“They have not been able to go to school for a couple of days now and for me, I don’t know where my drugs are. I have to buy new ones, new cosmetics and clothes.”
Other victims-Mrs Bisi Olasope and Chief Dayo Morakinyo-both residents of Dejo Oyelese Street and Mr Rauf Isola, of Awosika Avenue, recounted their experiences, which they described as devastating.
They called on government to be sincere with the integrity test to be conducted on the houses around the area so that they would not further lose their property.
The residents also appealed for government’s support so that they can pick the pieces of their lives and stabilise.
