Fashola Aids Families of Ikeja Bomb Victims

Lagos State Government on Friday remembered the victims of the January 27, 2002 Ikeja Cantonment bomb blasts with the unveiling of the Oke Afa Memorial Wall and presentation of cheques of N250,000 each to 70 families of the victims.

Speaking at the remembrance programme which took place at the Oke Afa Memorial Cemetery, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) charged the families of those who lost loved ones to take solace in the fact that there will always be a special place in history for people whose deaths bring about change.

He added that they must take solace in the fact that the loved ones will never be forgotten, stressing that though for some of the people, the memory and the pain may still be new every morning, they must not allow sorrow to overcome them and stand in their way.

“Let me say, grieve we must for our dear departed and we have grieved. But ten years on, we must now finally let go of our grief,” he added.

Governor Fashola stated that part of the steps already taken by the administration include the commencement of construction on the new Ajao –Ejigbo Bridge to pass over the Oke Afa canal and Ejigbo end of the canal which will open up water transportation from the axis to the central Business District of Lagos Island and Festac Village and its environs respectively.

“In the Ikeja Cantonment, we have rebuilt 8 school blocks containing 82 classrooms, which have been fully operational since 2010. We have now rebuilt the damaged hospital and funded the provision of equipment there.

“Part of the change is the spirit of better cooperation between the military and civilian population that will lead us to the construction of 10 blocks of housing units to accommodate 120 families under the Lagos HOMS Scheme, on a piece of land adjacent to the cantonment,” the Governor said.

The Governor stressed that the structures will stand as enduring testimonials to the ultimate sacrifice of the lost loved ones whose lives cannot be regained, adding that the monuments will remind everyone that their deaths were not in vain.

“We can never regain the lives that were lost. But the depth of our compassion for one another has put death to shame. We can never regain the lives that were lost. But the acts of the heroes of Oke Afa rekindled our faith in one another. Even today, those acts remind us so eloquently that no matter our tribe or faith, we are and will always be our brothers’ keeper,” the Governor emphasised.

Speaking on the valiant conduct of those who participated in rescue operation on the fateful day, Governor Fashola explained that fellow Nigerians responded to the distress call of strangers without counting the cost to themselves, noting that all Nigerians owe them all a debt of gratitude because they reminded us of who we are.

“They reminded us that we are our brothers’ keepers. They reminded us that real caring is the willingness to help one another. They reminded us that it is not in our character to stand by and see our brothers suffer. They reminded us that what binds us together is far stronger than what divided us. And they reminded us that when the chips are down it does not matter what tribe we come from or what faith we profess. Because, “e pluribus unum- Out of many, we are one,” Governor Fashola said.

The Governor who also recalled the sad experience of the communal clashes which broke out in Idi-Araba between Hausa settlers and members of the Oodua Peoples Congress said there is a lesson to be learnt from that incident and in these perilous times which should be remembered.

He said for those who forget their past mistakes they are bound to repeat them, as the lesson is that one moment of rash behaviour can assume a colossal magnitude and like a bush fire, spread farther than one could ever imagine, consuming all within its path.

Governor Fashola who went down memory lane about the bomb blasts tragedy of ten years ago, said from one end of Lagos to the other, there was confusion because no one knew for sure whether it was an external invasion, a military coup or a natural disaster with ready assumption was that a coup had taken place.

He commended the prompt display of leadership by the then Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose statewide broadcast allayed fears and cleared the air that no coup had taken place.

He said Lagos State Government immediately swung into action and set up a relief camp for victims at the Police College Ikeja and another one at Abalti Barracks, Surulere.

The Governor stated that the Nigerian Red Cross, corporate entities, school children, Nigerians and foreigners, eminent personalities, ordinary people, Muslims, Christians and individuals all came with food, clothes, medicine and money while the Governor’s Office became a temporary warehouse.

Governor Fashola also said there were several unsung heroes of the Oke Afa tragedy like Moses Okatahie who led ten other men who saved lives and retrieved bodies so that their families could bury their dead with dignity and people like national President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Mr Michael Alogba Olukoya who led teachers to spend over 12 hours in schools each day to ensure that the children’s education were not disrupted.

He added that members of the then State Executive Council especially Commissioners for Special Duties, Chief Mrs Teju Philips, Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson, Chief of Staff, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff, Mr Sunny Ajose, Director, Finance and Administration who is now Special Adviser on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga and the staff all rolled up their sleeves and got down to work.

He also did not fail to mention the former Commissioner for Health, Dr Leke Pitan, State Ambulance Services led by Dr Femi Osanyintolu as well as the Commandant of the Ikeja Cantonment, Brigadier General George Emdim who accepted the blame for the disaster and offered an immediate public apology and explanation to all Lagosians.

In his address which was presented by the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, former Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he was not sure if Nigeria as a nation has learnt much from the Ikeja Cantonment bomb blasts, stressing that the relevant authorities are still years back on how to secure ammunition depots and respond to such national disasters.

He said the occasion affords an opportunity for sober reflection on the state of Nigeria. “We live in a country we no longer recognise. Bombs everywhere, collapsed social and economic infrastructure, near total security breakdown and a government that functions in fits and starts.

“The Lagos State Government has kept most of the promises made to help these families. It happened when I was governor and I am glad that my able successor Governor Babatunde Fashola has continued in the same compassionate spirit. Today, we ask, just like all those affected, where is the Federal Government?. What happened to all the promises they made to the people?” Tinubu queried.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the Commemoration Committee and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr Obafemi Hamzat stated the event symbolises that victims of Oke Afa will never be forgotten.

He said it is significant that the Lagos State Government under the Action Congress of Nigeria is today retrieving the humanity of mankind from the inhumanity of the sad experience and saying that it will never forget what happened on the fateful Sunday so that a recurrence can be prevented.

The Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Authority, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan in his remarks expressed appreciation to the entire people of Ejigbo who worked tirelessly with the administration to set the stage for the great achievement.

He also thanked the State Government for the compensation and the on-going construction of the Ejigbo-Ajao Estate Link Bridge and prayed for good health, intellectual resourcefulness for the Governor.

In an address, the chairman of the families of the victims of the Ikeja Bomb blast, Mr Olaniran Majekodunmi thanked the governor for his dynamism and good reasoning in heeding the cry of the families of the victims.

He urged the Lagos State Governor to prevail on the Federal Government to redeem its promise by adequately compensating the families of the victims as they have tried their best to see that their people did not die in.

The Governor presented the cheques of N250,000 to representatives of the families of the victims of the disaster before he unveiled the Oke Afa Memorial Wall.

Prominent among the dignitaries who attended the ceremony were Deputy Governor, Hon (Mrs) Adejoke Orelope- Adefulire, the members of the State Executive Council, Hon Ahmed Omisore who represented the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, RT Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji, the Lagos State Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Chief Henry Ajomale, The Ojon of Ejigboland, Oba Maroof Ojoola, former Commandant of the Ikeja Cantonment, Brigadier General George Emdim and several family members and relatives of the victims as well as members of the Ejigbo Community.

The Governor also took time off after the commissioning of the Oke Afa Memorial Wall to inspect the site for the construction of Ejigbo- Ajao Road Link road alongside members of his cabinet and was taken round the site by Engineer Gboyega Otukoya and other officials of CCECC Construction.