Abule Ado explosion: Sorrows linger, family buries entire household same day

By SUNDAY ODIBASHI

The March 15 gas explosion at Abule Ado, Lagos State, left incurable pains, indelible memories of tragedies and sorrows in many families, including the survivor victims. Several families lost enterprising and wealthy relations; some others incurred the burden of taking care of survivor relations who either became physically deformed or lost all their property to the inferno that emanated from the explosion which many stakeholders later suspected to be a bomb explosion, though government authorities insisted it was a gas explosion.

The funeral of an entire household the same day that perished in the explosion brought very sad memories of sorrow and anguish to a family in the southeast in remembrance of their quantum loss. The household consisting of the husband, wife and only son, were killed in the Abule Ado explosion in March and buried the same day in June. Accordingly, the entire household of Deacon Obi Iyooh, the wife, Obiageli Iyooh, and their only son, Onyedikachi Iyooh were all buried same day in sorrowful circumstance as a result of the explosion at Abule Ado, Lagos.

Four months after the tragedy, surviving victims are yet to receive interventionist assistance or palliatives from either the Lagos State government or the Federal government after promises made at the time the incident occurred. The promises appear to have gone with the winds that lifted the aircraft of the solidarity visiting minister from Abuja or the vehicular wave that conveyed the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Olufemi Hamzat, and other officials of the Lagos State government to and fro the accident scene at the time of the occurrence.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development appears to have forgotten the victims of the Abule Ado explosion since she had visited the scene of the explosion and gone back to Abuja. properties were lost, homes were destroyed, humans were deformed while the extremely unlucky victims died instantly. More are yet to be buried but the funeral has commenced! The sorrow lingers!