The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has called on the Federal and Lagos State Government to compensate the victims of the March 2020 Abule Ado pipeline explosion in Lagos.
Adams made the call on Sunday in Lagos, at a memorial prayer in honour of those who lost their lives during the pipeline explosion on March 15, 2020.
The event was organised by the Soba Landlords and Residents Association (SLARA), and was held at the site of the former Bethlehem Girls College where five people, including the School’s Principal, Rev. Sis. Henriatta Alokha, died.
Adams, who is also the Chairman of the Association, said the event was to ensure that memories of the incident; the lives lost, the losses incurred and the damage to the community, we’re not forgotten.
He said the occasion was also to remind the government of the promises they made to the victims of the explosion and urged them to fulfil them.
According to him, it was unfortunate that the association had to resort to publicly reminding the government of their promises.
He noted that 30 people including the Association’s Vice Chairman, his wife and two children, died instantly from the explosion, and over 300 houses were destroyed during the explosion.
“The governor was here, even the speaker of the house was here, some South-West governors were here and they made promises to those affected by the disaster that certain amount will be paid as compensation.
We are using this opportunity to appeal to the LASG, as a state with honour and the economic nerver centre of our nation to fulfill all promises made to the victims. The federal government should do something tangible for the victims,” he said.
Meanwhile, Adams disclosed that the Association had taken legal action against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the disaster.
Also, Vice Chairman of SLARA, Philips Akinduro, urged LASG to help improve the lives of the members of the community by fulfilling its promises to the victims.
He said the state had set up a N2 billion trust fund for the victims with an initial contribution of N250 million and another N200 million from The Governors’ Forum.
“Many of our landlords borrowed money to do renovations that you see today. Many of our members were hospitalised, only few have paid the hospital bills,” he said.
Akinduro urged LASG to release monies that had been contributed so far to help cushion the suffering of the victims.
The traditional ruler of the community, Jimoh Agbebeji, said the community was yet to recover from the incident and would appreciate every help rendered to the victims.
