Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka

Victims of the Amawbia Roundabout petrol tanker explosion, which occurred on February 9, have cried out over their alleged abandonment by both government and the tanker owners.

The victims, mostly traders, have, therefore, taken their protest to the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, demanding that the tanker owner be made to compensate them.

Seven persons were confirmed dead, while scores were injured when the 40-foot petrol tanker, coming through Amawbia Bypass, toppled over and burst into flames as it negotiated the bend at the roundabout connecting Zik Avenue. 

Governor Obiano had, upon visiting the scene of the accident same night, promised that government would write off the hospital bills of the victims who sustained various degrees of burns and injuries in the accident as well as compensate those whose businesses were affected.  

Obiano had said: “What happened is unfortunate and it is calamitous. We pray God to grant those who lost their lives eternal rest. And for those in the hospital, we shall off-set their medical bills and also compensate those whose businesses were affected by the fire.”

But when the compensation was not forthcoming, coupled with the allegation that government was planning to take over the scene of the fire to erect a shopping mall, the traders whose shops were affected besieged Government House, Awka, to protest.

According to the protesters, who came under the aegis of Zik Avenue Business Owners Association (ZABOA), 10 persons lost their lives and properties worth over N250 million were destroyed during the incident.

Besieging the entrance gate of the Anambra State Government House on March 20, they called on the governor to prevail on NIPCO Oil and Gas company, owners of the petrol tanker, whom they claimed abandoned them since the incident occurred, to come and settle with them.

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Vice chairman of the group, Nze Ikechukwu Okafor, who spoke on behalf of the rest, told the governor that the association had made several efforts for a peaceful resolution of the matter, regretting that NIPCO Oil and Gas had refused to pay any attention to them.

“Since the incident occurred, the owner of the tanker, NIPCO Oil and Gas, has refused to have a chat with us not to talk of compensating families of those that lost their lives and others whose cars, houses and shops were burnt.

“We have had meetings with the NUPENG representatives, the chairman, conflict resolution, and chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which yielded no dividends. Since the day of the fire incident, when our members’ shops were razed to ashes, they have been living in poverty and starvation with no help from any quarters. They were abandoned to their own fate.

“On Monday, we were surprised to see Awka Capital Development Authority demolishing that particular site where the incident occurred with the information that the governor instructed them to pull down those structures for the developers to erect a shopping mall,” he said.

Also, one of the victims, Mr. Sunday Ogbughalu, whose shop was razed, said, since the incident, he had been relying on people’s goodwill for daily bread. He appealed to the governor to facilitate the meeting of the victims, the State Emergency Management Agency and the tanker owners for dialogue.

Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, who stood in for Governor Obiano durimg the protest, sympathised with the traders. He immediately ordered a meeting between the concerned government agents, the owner of the tanker and the business owners within seven days to address the issues raised by the business owners.

He also told them that the state government had mandated the State Emergency Management Agency to do an assessment of the destruction in the area and report to it accordingly. He said the report was still being awaited.

He, however, used the opportunity to call on all traders across the state to always insure their businesses in case of any eventuality.

The reporter could not confirm the allegation that the place had been earmarked for the construction of a shopping mall, as the government was silent on the issue.