The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila on Monday visited the site of the gas explosion that took place at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin Local Government of Lagos State on Sunday.
Gbajabiamila, who was accompanied by some members of the House on the visit, bemoaned the number of people that died during the explosion.
He assured those he met at the site that the government would not abandon the families of the victims to their fate as action would be taken.
“Be rest assured that this your government, this is your government, I don’t care which party you belong to, that does not mean anything to me. I don’t care where you come from, I don’t care what religion you practise.
“I want to assure the people here that the Lagos State Government is not going to abandon you, the Federal government, the NNPC GMD was the first to be here, you are not going to be abandoned, the local government chairman is here, your representative, Rep Oghene is here. You are not going to be abandoned.
“Right now in the time of sorrow, and a time of grief sometimes, God has a way of doing things. It is at times like this, that He brings us together that we remember that we are all one, and we must act as one. A time for finger-pointing will come later, but let us address this situation.
“We live in perilous times now. There are a lot of things going around, from coronavirus, to this, to that, and we have been advised by international organizations all over the world and every government, that we do not gather in groups like this but you cannot stop human kindness.
“We are all aware that we are all running a race, even as we stand here together but because of the importance of the lives that were lost and the damages, we do not care about that, we are all here, together as one.
“I’ve come to encourage you, do not be discouraged, do not be distraught, many lives have been lost. Those that lost brothers, sisters, family members, God will console you.
“We encourage you to be strong, and from Abuja, from the Federal government, I bring you the sympathy of the government, and we will do everything that we need to do, and is humanly possible, as far as the government is concerned,” the Speaker said.
Gbajabiamila said he had been briefed by the relevant authorities about the incident, saying “I can assure you that an unfortunate incident of this nature is a lesson to all of us, and we must learn from it.
“This happened, and we must learn from it. Lives have been lost. One life lost is too many, not to talk of about 17 or the figures we’re hearing around 20. Twenty lives are too many, among whom there were children. May their souls rest in peace.
“The principal would have escaped, but she was trying to save her children. May her soul rest in peace,” he said, adding that this is the time to assess the damage and take appropriate action.
The General Manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Mr Femi Osanyitolu was on ground to receive the speaker’s delegation and showed them the devastation the explosion left in its wake.
The General Manager briefed the Speaker on the extent of the damage caused by the explosion and also about the efforts of the all emergency responders, including the Federal and State agencies and others working together to salvage the situation since the incident occurred.