Niger Governor, His Predecessor, Bello, Ministers Visit Explosion Sites in Mashegu

•Donates N174m to victims, relations 

•CD wants decisive action against owners

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Some principal stakeholders in Niger State, yesterday, visited Sabon-pegi site of Mondays dynamite explosion.

They included the Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago; former Governor and Senator representing Niger North, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello; the Minister of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris; and the Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, among others,

In the explosion, no fewer than five lives were lost, while several houses and vehicles were also destroyed.

During the visit, Bago donated N174m to the victims of the accident on behalf of the state government.

Bago said N5m each should be given to those whose houses were totally destroyed, N2m to those whose houses were partially damaged, N1m to the injured, N2m  to the families of the deceased and N1m each to those whose vehicles were affected.

He said  the donation was to provide succour to the victims, adding that a committee would be set up to ensure the judicious distribution of the money.

A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, quoted the governor as saying they had huge deposits of gold and lithium and was therefore characterised by artisanal mining.

Bago directed  the people to surrender their explosives and other dangerous weapons  to the committee made up of security agencies, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Traditional Institutions and other relevant stakeholders for safe storage instead of keeping them in their houses.

The governor sympathised with the victims of the incident but called on them “to embrace  responsible mining policy for their safety.”

In his remarks, the Minister of Information and National Orientation Agency, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the president “is deeply saddened by the incident” before describing the accident   “as a man made tragedy which should not  cannot be allowed to continue.”

He said the president had instructed that an advocacy and enlightenment campaign should be stepped up by the National Orientation Agency, particularly for those involved in illegal mining activities to avert recurrence

In addition, he said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, NEMA and other relevant MDAs of the federal government saddled with responsibilities of intervention to complement the efforts of the State government in ameliorating the sufferings of the people.

In another development, the Campaign for Democracy in Niger State has asked governments to take more decisive actions against owners of affected vehicles.

Rising from a meeting in Minna, the  organisation said owners of overturned tankers should be held responsible for the colossal losses in lives and property the country was now witnessing.

A communique issued at the end of the meeting was however silent on the decisive actions to be taken against the tanker owners but pleaded with the federal and state governments to fix the roads, which it said was partly responsible for the accidents.

In the five point communique by State Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi and Secretary, Comrade Abdulwahid Adeshina, it also asked the federal government “to invest massively on roads rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged road network across the country.

“Security agencies, vehicle enforcement agencies, industrial safety agencies, vehicle inspection officers and similar sister organisations should commence frequent training and retraining of articulated vehicle drivers and other road users to avoid loss of human lives and economic valuables.”