Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on
Tuesday, redeemed his promise to assist victims
of recent tanker fire in the Iyana-Ipaja and Idimu
areas of the state with the distribution of cheques
to 243 victims enumerated by the state
government.
The governor, who was represented by his Deputy,
Dr. Oluranti Adebule, at the cheque distribution,
held at the Igando Rehabilitation Centre, Igando,
urged the beneficiaries to utilise the government’s
assistance and return home to rehabilitate
themselves as much they could.
Ambode said, “We know that what government has
given is not enough but with the belief that you are
going to put it to judicious use, it would go a long
way to help out. Please stay peaceful and remain
focused.
“We want to you to go back home and rehabilitate
yourself as much as you could. The good Lord
would continue to be with you. We pray not to
witness this kind of incidence again. We share in
your feelings and urge you to continue to give your
support to this administration.”
He urged citizens to continue to be patient and join
hands with his administration, adding that the
government was going to be very responsive and
had already demonstrated that by the financial
assistance.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special
Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr Aderemi
Desalu. said from the Iyana Ipaja incident, 76
persons were recommended for financial
assistance, out which seven were landlords and
got N500,000 each.
Sixty four others, who were shop owners, each got
N150,000, while five tricycle operators got
N50,000 each.
Desalu said from the Idimu petrol tanker incident, a
total of 369 persons were affected, out of which
167 were adults.
“We brought members of that community to this
camp. We had a total of 369 residents including
children. They have been here for one month and
would be departing very soon. One hundred and
sixty seven of them are adults. We recommended
N50,000 but the governor magnanimously doubled
what we recommended,” he added.
Meanwhile, a committee, set up by Ambode to
examine the immediate and remote causes of the
petrol tanker disasters witnessed last month, has
submitted its report.
The committee, chaired by the Secretary to the
State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, presented its
report to the Governor on Tuesday at the Lagos
House, Alausa, Ikeja.
Ambode, had in the wake of the Iyana Ipaja and
Idimu petrol tanker explosions, set up a fact finding
committee with a charge on it to prepare guidelines
for ethical conduct for tanker drivers, who might be
found culpable in the unfortunate incidents.
The committee was also expected to engage the
insurance industry and work out appropriate
policies expected to protect residents of the state
from havoc in future tanker incidences in the state.
In the report, the committee made far reaching
recommendations to the Governor on how to
prevent recurrence of such disasters.
Ambode promised to work on the
recommendations, saying the state government
would take necessary steps to protect the lives
and property of its citizenry.
He said his administration did not subscribe to
forcing down directives on people, explaining that
this informed the government’s decision to set up
the committee with representatives of relevant
stakeholders to fashion out preventive strategies
against such occurrences.
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