As victims of the Abule-Egba pipeline explosion of January 19, 2020 are set to leave the internally displaced persons camp provided by the Lagos State Government, six months after the incident, they will face the new reality of life. Daily Trust Saturday captures their plight.
January 19, 2020 will remain a dark and sad day for over 300 property owners and tenants along the Ekoro area of Abule-Egba, Baruwa in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State following the multiple explosions that razed their residences and destroyed other properties.
What started like the usual stench after a suspected pipeline vandalism ended up displacing the residents in a matter of hours.
While three people died in the multiple explosions, other residents watched from afar as their houses went up in flames. They cried helplessly as everything burnt to ashes.
The state government immediately stepped in to provide relief for the victims by relocating them to the Igando Relief Camp within the local government. They have been at the camp since January 22, under the care of the state government.
After spending six months at the camp, the state government has hinted that the facility would close on June 30 and the victims would be expected to reintegrate into the society.
When our correspondent visited the camp, displaced persons, including 40 infants and 30 children, said their situation was hopeless as they prepared to vacate what served as their home for the past six months. It was learnt that two women safely gave birth to new babies at the Alimosho General Hospital.
Children were seen playing within the vicinity, obviously unaware of what fate had for them when they leave the camp.
arrating their experiences, one of the victims of the incident, a 74-year-old Mr Olalekan Fadairo, who said he lost a five-bedroom bungalow with shops at number 20, Kareem Jimoh Street, Igoke Estate, Abule-Egba, recalled how he lost consciousness after the explosion. He was revived at the displaced people’s camp.
“We arrived here on January 22, three days after the incident. The state government has been taking care of us since then. They provide us breakfast, lunch and dinner. We don’t lack anything. In fact, they have done beyond our expectations. We want to thank the governor, the director-general of the LASEMA and all the officials of the agency who have been taking care of us.
But we are not going to be here forever. They told us that we would leave the camp by the end of June. We are going to leave, but the question is: Where are we going to live? We lost everything to the fire. How do I get a roof over my head? We all know how difficult it is to build a house in Lagos,” he lamented.
Speaking on behalf of his landlord, Mr Jariongbe Ismaila, whose eight-room bungalow that accommodated 20 tenants was burnt to ashes at number 4, Mohammed Sadiq Street, Ajayi Sunday, 64, said, “The properties we lost were not built in 20 years.”
Mr Lasisi Adekola, 78, also of Mohammed Sadiq Street, said he lost 12 rooms to the fire.
“I commend the state government. If not for their intervention, all of us would have died of trauma. I pray that this governor would live long. The government has done its best in feeding us, morning, afternoon and night. We never lacked anything. At night they would put on the generator for us so that we would be comfortable here.
But now that they have told us to leave the camp, where will I go to? Will I live under the bridge? I am confused. We have been counting the days. We wish that day would not come.”
He also recalled how the explosion occurred. “Initially, the smell of fuel took over the environment. That was not the first time we would be overwhelmed with that kind of odour from the pipeline.
It happened about 7:30pm. We all came out, thinking it was just the normal smell that would go away as usual. All of a sudden, we heard a big bang and started running helter-skelter,” narrated.
Asked if they built on the pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the landlords said no, and explained that the fuel spilled to their area after the pipeline was allegedly vandalised.
Another landlord, Odugbesan Adebowale of 2, Joel Nnadede Street, Igoke Estate, said the burnt houses were far from the NNPC pipeline.
“The fuel spilled through the drainage after it was vandalised. I lost my children’s certificate, my international passport, apart from the entire building – a five-bedroom bungalow with a shop. That was the only building I and my brother inherited from our father.
Now that we are leaving the camp, I am confused. Where do I go with my children?” He asked.
For Mrs Florence Buraimoh, a widow in her late 60s, it is a double jeopardy as the explosion occurred barely four months after she lost her husband.
“All the properties my husband left behind are gone. All my life savings are gone. Where do I start from?
“Forty days after my husband died, my children bought me a Plasma television set and a generator. In addition to other things, 23 bales of cloths I had not sewn all burnt to ashes.
When my husband died, his family contributed some money for me. The N175,000 was in an envelope and it was burnt to ashes,” Mrs. Buraimoh recounted.
The victims are not happy that the NNPC, which owned the pipeline that exploded, seems to have left them to their unfortunate fate. According to them, officials of the commission visited the camp immediately they got there and took their details, promising to get back to them, but up till this moment, nothing has happened.
According to the 78-year-old Mr Adekola, the Lagos State Government has shouldered its responsibility by taking care of them for six months, so the NNPC should also come to their aid.
“They only came once to collect our data, but since then, we don’t know their whereabouts. Where do they want us to go? Do they want us to go begging? We are not responsible for the vandalisation of the pipeline, so why should we suffer for it? We want the Federal Government to urgently intervene,” he said.
The victims also called on the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives to prevail on the Federal Government to come to their aid.
Speaking on the plight of the displaced persons, the camp commandant, Bosun Olukolade, said, “We relate as one family. They have not been troublesome. They are all happy. At times you would not even know that they are displaced persons. We have a counsellor who talks to them.”
On the state government’s plan for the victims when they leave the camp, the director-general and chief executive officer of the LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, explained that the 300 victims would be reintegrated into the society with a financial assistance of N150, 000 for an individual and N225, 000 for each household. He said this would help them to resettle.
He added, “The LASEMA has worked tirelessly with multiple agencies to ensure the safety and good health of the 300 people. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu declared the camp open with full feeding and accommodation for all the victims of the explosion. He also approved transportation and educational support for children of school age before the outbreak of COVID-19.
We appreciate all the corporate bodies that supported in cash and kind. The agency also wishes all the victims success in future and urge them to stay safe and be at alert.’’
Daily Trust Saturday also learnt that as part of efforts to reintegrate them, interested people among the victims were made to undergo vocational training programme on skills of their choices, such as hair braiding and weaving, event decoration, fabric stoning, catering and food preparation, soap production, throw- pillow and interior accessories, leather works, among others.
When our correspondent contacted the general manager, public affairs of the NNPC, Dr Kennie Obateru on their plan for the Abule-Egba explosion victims, he promised to get back to him. A reminder was sent to him, but he was yet to reply at the time of filing this report.
As the Abule-Egba victims vacate the camp, their counterparts in Abule-Ado, who also suffered multiple explosions on Sunday, March 15, 2020, are still there. About 300 persons were also displaced, while 22 people, including a school principal, lost their lives.
Ayo Ibaru, a real estate expert, said government must put an affordable housing programme in place to cater for displaced persons and the poor in the state and country in general.
“There has to be a policy that ensures people at different stages afford their own homes. The day we finally get that policy rolling, you find out that this thing should not have taken as long as this. Considering the state of the real estate market and housing problem, we are almost at a rock bottom. There has to be a lot of injection in terms of investment,” he said.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
