5th April, 2012
The Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has ordered the immediate procurement of all the equipment and drugs needed by the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan to treat the school children who sustained injuries when the bus conveying them caught fire Wednesday in Ibadan.
The governor who gave the order Friday when he visited the hospital to assess the condition of the children, also ordered the immediate release of N6 million for the purchase of the equipment.
He also ordered that the supplier of the equipment should be escorted to and fro Lagos by security operatives attached to his office so as to hasten the arrival of the equipment.
Gov. Ajimobi had earlier been told by the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital, Dr. Biodun Otegbayo, that some of the children were in critical condition and needed urgent medical attention, adding that unfortunately the hospital did not have the necessary equipment to adequately cater for them.
The authorities of the hospital disclosed to the governor that so far five of the pupils involved in the accident have died while 17 were currently on admission at the hospital.
Aside the purchase of the equipment, he also said that the medical bill of the children would be borne by the Oyo State government.
Gov. Ajimobi, while sympathising with the parents and guardians of the children, said that thorough investigation would be carried out to determine if there was any negligence that led to the incident.
He said that appropriate sanction would be taken against the management of the school if any case of negligence was established.
“We take this opportunity to warn school proprietors to care for the safety of our children; safety is very paramount, and we shall be investigating to know what has happened and where we believe that there was negligence, we will take appropriate sanction,” he said.
By Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan