Ijegun Pipeline Fire:Hopes Dim For Victims’ Compensation

By Joseph Toba

Barely one month after the Ijegun pipeline fire disaster in Alimoso Local Government Area of Lagos state, victims of the incident are still having their hope dangling as no compensation in anyway has come their way.
The long expectation of members of the community, particularly those who were rendered homeless or received various degree of burns have through the Ijegun Pipeline Fire Disaster And Oil Spillage  (IPFDOSC) cry out to the government for neglect, injustice and insensitivity to the plight of the victims and members of their families.
Last Tuesday members of the community including the traditional head and regent of Ijegun Community, Chief Aina Bello, gathered to express their displeasure about government indifference to their plight despite their efforts to receiving adequate attention in form of relief materials or cash compensation from the government or any of the agencies.
Speaking to journalists in Ijegun, Chief Bello recalled that since the fire was put off and the spillage stopped and people evacuated, officials of the Red Cross Society, World Health Organization and UNICEF including officials from the local government, did not live up to their expectation.”
He alleged that officials of these agencies mentioned above ran away because they could not stand the sight of fire burns, ordinary relief materials cannot be provided for those who survived the burns or those who could not breath fully because the gas of the oil spillage or the smoke affected their lungs, livers and cardio vascular system”.
Apart from failure of the government officials from the three tiers to consider their plight, the regent also condemned Honourable Solomon Olamilekan of the Lagos House of Assembly whose jurisdiction Ijegun fell, for failing to pay visit. Equally Senator Ganiyu Solomon who was also accused of not showing any concern.
The community, through its lawyer, Mr Wale Ogunale, told journalists that Ijegun community had suffered injury of which they were entitled to remedy and adequate compensation. The community therefore asked for a cash compensation of N97 billion from the parties responsible for the fire disaster.
Barrister Ogunade alleged that the laying of the pipeline by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) did not follow international best practices on safety standards, adding that the pipeline that passed through Ijegun were buried 0.5 metres deep without any concrete covering instead of 2.5 metres with a concrete covering to meet the international standard.
He in company of other lawyers, said rather than the government and other relevant agencies reaching out to the members of Ijegun community and providing succour, blames were passed and the victims left on their own pathetic conditions in various hospitals.
The chairman of (IPFDOSC), Reverend Olaseni Soewu accused officials of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) for failure to fumigate the community to reduce the smell and health hazard that might likely arise from the disaster.
He said the spillage, up till now had “virtually rendered many streets and home to become unable since all wells and tanks are now full of petrol”.
The committee members said they are now refugee in another village while the displayed students as a result of the explosion are yet to be relocated by the ministry of education.
Some of the victims who spoke with Sunday Mirror regretted that the government had not come to their aid despite the fact that they were not responsible for the cause of the explosion.
For Alhaji Isa Omobolanle (67) who lost two children aged, 24 and 27 years, respectively and another 12 years old still hospitalized, appealed to the government to compensate him.
The two children died when they were caught up by the fire at their mothers shop near the junction where the explosion happened.
Other victims like Mr Segun Ajaji who said he was a commercial driver until the incident called for help from the government as he could no longer drive as a result of the burnt received from the fire while Akeem Balogun and Mrs Busayo Agbaje are still seriously under pains with burns all over their bodies .