Christopher Oji
President Muhammad Buhari has promised to rebuild all houses destroyed by the explosion that rocked Abule-Ado community in Amuwo-Odofin Local Area of Lagos State on Sunday.
This is even as emergency workers have continued to search for the body of a missing person who may have died in the explosion.
About 20 persons lost their lives among who were students of Bethlehem Girls’ High School, while several houses were also destroyed in the early-morning explosion that occurred in the area.
The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, who was on-the-spot assessment to the site, assured those affected by the explosion that the Federal Government would conduct a detailed investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident.
The minister who represented the president said the Federal Government will also partner the state government to investigate the actual cause of the explosion.
Describing the explosion as devastating, President Buhari said: “The level of destruction here is devastating. It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in this situation. It is a good thing that our agencies: National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA, the Federal and State Fire Services, and other agencies joined hands to respond immediately when this incident happened, and that is the first stage.
“A committee has already been set up by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of the Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to really verify and investigate the root cause of this incident. Meanwhile, we are joining hands with the state government to support the victims of this incident – those that are in the hospital and those that are now displaced because of this explosion.
“So, we are going to work together with the state government to bring some kind of support and assistance to the affected victims. We are going to be working together in investigating the root cause of this incident; we will also work together in setting up a strategic framework so that we will address this issue once and for all. We are also going to work in the area of rebuilding these structures that have been destroyed by this incident.
“We will bring relief materials in terms of food and non-food materials. Then, we can now see how we can support people to rebuild their lives. We have pledged our commitment and we are going to support in whatever way.
The deputy governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, who conducted the president round the explosion site also called for unity and oneness to overcome the present challenge.
He said: “When this incident happened, all agencies of government both federal and state came together to work, so our agencies have shown what togetherness can do. They came together to assist people in their difficulties; so basically we will work together to see how we can resolve this incident.
“Then we will see how to assist the people in this area and use the opportunity to see how we can maintain the physical development of this community.
“People should have dignity in death. On Monday, there will be a Mass for people that have died, and after that we can talk about property and money. It is important we account for every human being in this area first.”