Governor of Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Monday, 22 January, 2024, received the Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Mr. Dele Alake, noting that the government will do everything to look after the affected people and look at all the issues involved.
The Minister, who lauded Makinde for doing what he described as “a yeoman’s job…in terms of the speed of his response to this unfortunate incident,” said President Bola Tinubu and the Presidency are impressed.
Governor Makinde, while speaking after a closed-door meeting with the minister, maintained that the state government is awaiting the reports of the teams carrying out structural integrity tests on 230 structures around the site of the explosion.
He added that the state would extend the temporary accommodation given to victims, while it would also ensure that Ground Zero, the codename given to Dejo Oyelese Close, is safe and secured.
He said: “We would wait for the reports from the teams carrying out the structural integrity test, but the bottom line is, first, we need to extend the temporary accomodation we had given to people.
“We also need to ensure that the place is safe and secure.
“All the forensic pathologists; what they are doing we have to encourage them to continue. But there is still a lot to be done.
“I don’t think we have faced this kind of calamity around here before, so people should be patient with us. We will do everything on the part of the government here to ensure that people actually get looked after.”
While addressing newsmen, Alake said he was in the state to see the site of the explosion and to commend the governor for his response to the crisis.
He stated that the Federal Government would allow investigating agencies, including technical and intelligence outfits, to conclude their forensic investigations before making a categorical statement.
Alake said: “After going round the site and the hospital to see the victims and commiserate with them and their families as well as their loved ones, it is proper for me to pay a courtesy call on the governor who has done a yeoman’s job.
“He has done well in terms of the speed of his response to this unfortunate incident. You recall that I told you that the President put a phone call through to Governor Makinde to commend and sympathise with him as well as the people of Oyo State, including the victims.
“So, this is a culmination of the establishment of the acknowledgement of the Federal Government on what the governor and the state government have done, which is very remarkable.
“The President is very impressed and we are all impressed too. Nobody wishes for any disaster but we wish that our people would respond commendably to any situation at all. And, on our own part, we immediately swung into action.
“We will allow the investigating agencies, various agencies including technical and intelligence agencies to conclude their forensic investigations before we make any categorical and viable statement on the issue.
“All the corollary issues attending this would be answered at the end of the investigations and everybody will be kept well-informed. But my role here is to come and commiserate with the governor and commend the effective efforts he has put in place immediately after the unfortunate incident.”
