Idimu fire disaster victims still in pain....demands for compensation

Emeka Ibemere

A week after fire razed 70 shops and 45 houses at the crowded community of Egbe-Idimu near Ejigbo axis of the Local Council Development Area, LCDA, the victims of the petroleum tanker fire incident are yet to come out of the shock, despite Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State’s promises to alleviate their pains.

Those rendered homeless are still squatting with family members outside Idimu while others are still hibernating around the burnt houses and shops.

 The normal night business at the scene of the incident is yet to bounce back because some of the shops are still ghost of it.

Even though reports are suggesting the efforts that are been made to compile identities of the victims for forwarding to the authorities for compensation, the victims of the fire are in a hurry as some of them have nowhere to relocate to following the razing down of their homes and business centres.    

 It would be recalled that last Saturday June 7, around 12am, when two tanker drivers were competing on the Idimu-Ikotun road, and one of the tankers was laden with premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol, while the other tanker loaded with 33,000 litres of diesel.

Eyewitness said the disaster occurred when one of the tanker drivers lost control at a sharp corner in Idimu, thereby forcing the diesel-laden 33,000 litre truck to swerve to the other side of the road before the whole area went up in flame.

By the time the inferno was put off, no fewer than 70 shops and 34 houses were destroyed. Many residents were displaced as the fire was raging and have not returned back to their houses a week after the incident.

During the governor’s visit to the scene, Ambode summoned Petroleum Products Tanker Drivers’ Union and stakeholders to an emergency meeting on Monday, June 8. According to the executive governor, the meeting would address the incessant petrol tanker-induced fires in the state.

It would also be recalled that four days before the Idimu disaster, a similar tanker fire occurred at Iyana-Ipaja area of the state which left several shops and vehicles destroyed. The estimated destruction was put at N500million. About 34 buildings, 70 shops, one tricycle and one truck were consumed by the fire ignited by a fallen petrol-laden tanker, according to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

“I have directed that we will meet with the union of the tanker drivers and other agencies on Monday morning, and we must make pronouncements relating to the usage of our roads. “This is another unfortunate accident within one week; unfortunate because we are beginning to lose a lot of our assets and property,” Ambode said.

The governor said it has become imperative to check the activities of the tanker drivers and enforce the state traffic laws.

“We do not want this to repeat itself again. I have been briefed that there were two tanker drivers actually competing on the road as at midnight including a commercial bus. In the process, one of the tanker drivers conveying 33,000 litres of fuel lost control at the bend and spilled its content to as far as five streets.” According to him, 34 houses and 70 shops were destroyed by the fire. Ambode also commiserated with those affected by the fire and appealed to them to remain calm. “We will do immediate relief and take enumeration to see how we can address this issue. “We will do everything in our might to make sure that they go back to their normal lives,” he said.

Giving an account of how the incident occurred, the Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasak Fadipe, said his men responded to the distress call at about 12.08 a.m.

“The prompt response by the rescue officers with the aid of the community helped to prevent the fire from spreading. “The effort we put in saved the MRS fuel station from being engulfed by the fire and we also saved several buildings here,” he said. He said the incident also consumed fire- fighting materials that would have been used to contain about 15 to 20 future fire outbreaks.

Also speaking, Mr Babatunde Kokumo, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, pledged the support of the Police in addressing the situation. “We want to see that‎ sanity returns to our roads, particularly sanity among our tanker drivers, tipper drivers and generally among all users of roads in Lagos.

“The government is doing so much for us and we must as a matter of seriousness reciprocate all these gestures by ensuring that we instil sanity,” the DCP said.

High Chief Murufu Ojegbele, Osemo of Idimu land and secretary to Idimu Council of Obas and Chiefs in the area told Newswatch Times that his people need the help of the government urgently following the number of displaced persons from their ancestral homes.

 “The diesel started gushing out and people started running including the Suya sellers, hawkers of akara and other items. As a result of the gushing out of the liquid material the fire ensued and everywhere got engulfed with fire”, Ojegbele added. 

“Almost 80 shops and 45 residential houses burnt also. But we are very grateful to God because we never encountered any death, so that is it. What we are just asking for is for the present state governor to rise to the occasion and arrest the situation by advising the petroleum tanker drivers to be strict adherence of the road traffic orders”. According to him, “we are seeking for compensation because we voted for APC massively and directly or indirectly, we pay our taxes to the government”.

Jonathan Obi, another victim of the disaster, also said that he is still in shock following the incident. He said he had closed shop when the fire started but that he was contacted by the residents of the building housing his shop. According to Obi, his shop had goods worth of N4million before it went up in flame.

“I have two provision shops and I wasn’t there when the fire incident happened. I had closed shop and was at home when I was phoned about 12am, about the incident and I raced to the scene of the incident and when I reached there, everything has gone already”, Obi said. He said God is in control and he has giving everything to God because He knows why it happened and he cannot fight God.

In this condition, he expects the government to come and compensate them and the landlords, so that they can start life afresh.  “The goods there are worth more than N4million. I haven’t seen my co-traders that share shops with me and it’s only when we put heads together that we can approach the authority”, he stated. 

Mrs Olushe told our correspondent that her father owns five houses and shops that got burnt and that she was left with nothing.

According to her, she just bought goods worth more than N700, 000 and everything just got burnt and that he doesn’t know where to start with. She cried that government should come to their aids.

Another victim, Mrs Adamo Yusuf, who operated a restaurant in some of the burnt shops at Idimu Bus Stop, said she lost both houses and shops to the fire, saying neither her properties in the shops nor her belongings in her rooms were spared by the inferno.

“I had just left the shops but my children and maids were still there preparing to close when the incident occurred,” she said.

Executive Secretary, Egbe-Idimu LCDA, and Hon Kunle Sanya Olowojo, said financially, the LCDA is handicapped but that they are going to work with the state government to see that the victims were compensated and that they are going to alleviate the pains of the victims. “We are handicapped but we are going to work hand in hand with the government and we are expecting the governor. 37 houses and with about 70 shops, we are going to give him this details and see how we can assist the victims”, he told Newswatch Times.

“To caution the effect of the victims, we are going to work with the governor and we are responsible government to alleviate their sufferings, so we are not going to let them on their own”.

According to him, the incident is an avoidable one if more caution has been taken by the drivers of the tanker. “The accident that happened here last Saturday, could have been prevented. Its one too many, just about four days ago at Iyana Ipaja, we have a similar case and for this to happen again, it’s just the fault of the tanker drivers”, he explained.

“No potholes, the road here is good, it was not raining, and it’s their carelessness because they know the danger of what they are carrying. With technology, it’s quite possible to limit their speed meter and if we can do that, it means it cannot speed more than that limit”.

Meanwhile, reports gathered from a resident of the area claimed that the Lagos State Government said it has commenced the listing of the names of the victims of the tanker explosion that occurred in Idimu area of the state on Saturday, assuring that all affected victims would be properly catered for.

The general manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency had commenced the enumeration exercise after which other steps would be taken.

 “We have commenced the enumeration, the governor; Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has ordered that the victim should be taken care of. Our men are on ground for the exercise, even though some are still attending to other emergencies in the state. Every affected victim would be captured in line with the governor’s directive.”

On whether the victims would be temporarily relocated to the Igando Relief Camp near the scene of the incident, Oke-Osanyintolu said, “That is at the discretion of the governor, but what I can confirm to you is that order has been given to take care of the victims, which we have commenced with the enumeration exercise.”