President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed deep regret over the loss of lives following Thursday’s gas explosion at an industrial complex in Nnewi, Anambra.
A statement in Abuja on Friday by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said the President was greatly shaken and shocked by such large-scale loss of human lives in a single industrial accident.
According to the statement, Buhari regretted that the accident cast a gloom on the families of the victims “who were looking forward to a joyous Christmas celebration’’.
The President extended his condolences to the families of the victims, the people and the government of Anambra over what he described as “this unfortunate tragedy on Christmas eve’’.
“My heart and prayers go out to these grieving families at this difficult and painful moment,’’ the statement said.
It added that President Buhari also commiserated with the Lamido of Adamawa, Alhaji Barkindo Musdafa, over the death of his mother, Hajiya Adda Gombeji, who passed away at the age of 87.
“He has placed a call to condole with the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, who has equally lost his own mother.
“The President personally made the phone calls to the Lamido of Adamawa and Emefiele to express his sympathy to the Monarch and the CBN Governor over the death of their mothers,’’ the statement added.
Buhari described a mother as “an invaluable component of family life, and the pillar and comforter of the children’’.
He prayed to Allah to bless the souls of the deceased, and grant the Lamido, Godwin Emefiele and other members of their families the fortitude to overcome the losses.
...Relatives search bushes for bodies of victims
Relatives of victims of Nnewi gas explosion Friday combed the bushes near the gas plant for corpses of missing family members, even as the Anambra Fire Service has eventually succeeded in putting out the fire.
Some of them said they decided to search the bushes because they got information that many people ran into it immediately af the explosion.
A middle aged woman, Amaka, said she is still in shock after the accident. According to her, “I cannot just believe that my maid who was sent to refill gas at the factory is gone forever.
“I am in deep trouble, what will I tell the family of the girl? I just brought her from the village last three months with the promise that I would help to sponsor her education. I have gone to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi mortuary where the corpses are deposited, but my maid is not there. Will I just go and tell the parents that their daughter is dead without the corpse?” she queried.
Also, a staff of Chikason Group, who spoke on condition of anonymity said workers of the organisation recently concluded a two-week fasting and prayer session after a prophet allegedly warned the Chairman of the group of the impending doom.
He said the prophet did not specify which of the factories in the group would be affected, a situation that made many members of staff participate in the prayer sessions.
“I don’t know why all these bad things are happening. Our Chairman is a very good man who is passionate about the welfare of the downtrodden even at great personal cost. Last time, two of his fully-loaded trucks just disappeared. The vehicles were carrying items running into millions of naira. That one is yet to be resolved and now this fire disaster,” he said.
The Chikason staff however, did not mention the name of the prophet .
Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of Nnewi, Igwe Kenneth Orizu in company of his council of titled chiefs, visited the scene of the fire incident. Spokesman for the royal father and former Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Anambra State, Chief Dan Ulasi told newsmen that Nnewi has never experienced such a level of devastation in its entire history.
He pointed out that the Igwe and his cabinet had also visited the injured in different hospitals in Nnewi.
The monarch expressed shock that an industrial town like Nnewi does not have a functional Fire Service Station, urging the government to address the anomaly.
A member of House of Representatives for Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, Hon Chris Azubogu who also visited the scene of the explosion, noted that the accident has cast a big shadow on Christmas celebrations in the town.
Hon. Azubogu prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims, as well as, prayed for the quick recovery of those in hospitals.
The lawmaker said that the accident has made it incumbent on the government to enforce safety standards, stressing the need for regulatory bodies like Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and similar agencies to ensure that environmental impact assessments are properly carried out before giving licences to people to set up filling stations.
-Vanguard/Leadership
