Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa; Chairman, Committee on Privatisation, Senator Orji Kalu and his counterpart from Abia Central Senatorial District, Senator Austin Akobundu, have commiserated with the government and people of Oyo State over Tuesday’s explosion in Ibadan.
They described the incident as sad and devastating.
The state Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, had said preliminary investigation revealed that the explosion, which destroyed over 100 houses, killed three people and injured about 80 people, was caused by the explosives stored in a residential building by an illegal miner.
Reacting to the unfortunate development Thursday, Musa underscored the need for security agencies to invest heavily in intelligence gathering.
He noted that the incident could be avoided if residents had offered useful information to the security agents before now.
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He said it was high time governments at national and sub-national levels came up with legislation that would impose heavier sanctions against possession of explosives and illegal mining.
He said: “This is one incident too many. The government at all levels, security agencies and the people have roles to play to avert future occurrence.
“We need to be proactive in dealing with the situation.
“The people should be more vigilant and show keen interest in whatever that is going on around them while security agencies should encourage residents to speak up whenever they discover strange movements within their communities.
“Government should also come up with legislation that would discourage anyone from either possessing explosives or even engaging in illegal mining.”
Kalu, in a statement in Abuja, also expressed sadness over the painful incident, which was attributed to the activities of illegal miners.
He urged the government to commence a full scale investigation into the sad development in a bid to forestall future occurrence.
He said: ” I received with shock the news of the explosion in Ibadan on Tuesday. It is depressing considering the lives that were lost and injured victims.
“Government must bring to book the perpetrators of the ugly incident in order to prevent future occurrence.”
Akobundu said he was shocked by the news of the blast, adding that such tragic incident was shattering especially at this critical time when families are struggling to survive the harsh economic situation in the country.
According to him, “I commend Governor Makinde for his characteristic people-first response in immediately visiting the scene of the incident and providing assistance and comfort to the victims through prompt evacuation.
“I also commend him for the prompt payment of medical bills for the wounded, emergency accommodation for the displaced and guaranteed government support to all those affected by the blast.
“Equally commendable is Governor Makinde’s proactive steps for inquires into the cause of the explosion so as to bring the culprits to book and ensure that such disaster does not reoccur in the state.”
