The Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, has assured residents of Ibadan of justice over the explosion that rocked the city.
While vowing that jutice would be done to victims of the unfortunate incident, Alake also assured that perpetrators of the dastard act would be brought to book.
The minister gave the assurance, while addressing journalists at the state’s Governor’s Office, shortly after his visit to Governor Seyi Makinde.
Alake, who had earlier paid an on-the-spot assessment to the site of the explosion at Dejo Oyelese, Bodija, Ibadan, commended Governor Makinde for his swift response to the sad occurrence.
He said: “After going through the site and going to the hospital to see the victims and to commiserate with them, their families and lived ones, there is need for me to pay a courtesy call on the governor who has done a lay man’s job and commendable job in terms of speed of his response to this unfortunate incident.”
“Recall that I told you that the President put a phone call to him, to commend him and sympathized with him and the people of the state and the victims and also issued a statement after expressing his own sentiments.”
“We are drawing from a wealth of experience in approaching all of this things, so it will be meticulous, authenticated, efficiency implemented in whatever the report says, and at the end of the day, justice will be done, not just to the victims but to the perpetrators and caucus, and of course, whatever assistance that will be needed to be giving to Oyo State governor, the president will not hesitate to give that.”
“So, this is a combination of the establishment and acknowledgement of the federal government of what the Oyo State governor and government has done, and this is very remarkable, the president is very impressed, we are all impressed, no body wishes anybody any disaster but wish our people respond commendable to any unfortunate situation, not even unfortunate but any situation at al.”
“And on our own part, we immediately swung into action, but like I keep saying, we will also allow the investigative agencies, various technical agencies to conclude their forensic investigation before we make any categorical, verifiable and authentic statement on the issue.”
“All the issues attending day will be reveal at the end if the investigation and everybody will kept well informed. But my role here is to come and commiserate with the governor and commend his very efficient and effective effort that he out in place immediately after the unfortunate incident.”
While speaking on the time frame of the report, Alake said: “Because it is a technical thing, and it requires alot of technological gadgets and apparatus, we can’t out a time frame on it, but I can assure you in terms of the speed which they have started and are going about it, it will be shorter than you think.”
“But if course we are not going to seat on it, this is not a kind of report that anybody will seat in and this is not a kind of government that will seat on any panels report or any investigative analysis, it will be public documents and will be kept abreast of it.”
“The president has promise to do anything in his power to give something to victims, and don’t forget I also told you that drawing from experience of all we heard, on a larger magnitude in Lagos in 2002, the Ikeja cantonment blast, when our current president was the governor and I was the commissioner under him then, I knew what we faced.”
“So, drawing from experience, of course at that time, it was the state government that bought the brunt of it and you know that casualty, for some of you who are not privy or who are not aware of it should go to the archive to look at what happened and really enlighten yourself.” Alake said.
While fielding questions from journalists on whether or not state government would consider pulling down structures within the affected area, Governor Makinde said: “We’re still waiting for the forensic report from the team carrying out structural integrity test test but the bottom line is first, we need to extend the temporary accommodation given to people, we also need to ensure that the place is secured, all the forensic pathologists, the work they’re doing, we have to encourage them to continue but there’s still a lot to be done.”
