By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has promised that succor may come the way of families of victims of the Wednesday’s fatal road accident involving a petrol-ladden tanker and other vehicles on the Okene-Lokoja- Abuja road.
The explosion resulted in an explosion that claimed over 23 lives at Felele area of Lokoja, Kogi State.
This much was disclosed in Abuja Thursday by Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello who briefed State House Correspondents after meeting the Vice President at Presidential Villa Abuja.
According to him, “the Vice President is a very caring father and he’s concerned about what happened particularly in what happened yesterday (Wednesday), the unfortunate accident that claimed the lives of innocent citizens in Kogi State.
“So our discussion was very fruitful, he expressed his sympathies and condolences to the families of those that lost their loved ones and promised to ensure that federal government brings succour to the families of those that have lost their loved ones and to ensure that future occurrences, especially on that spot does not occur again. So our discussion was very fruitful”, Bello revealed.
Asked the way forward after he visited the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola earlier in the week, the governor stated that the Minister has already taken action on the matter.
“My visit to the Minister of works and Housing is in connection with the road infrastructure and other infrastructure that crisscross Kogi State, especially with the incident of yesterday. It is an accident, it can happen at any point in time.
“The minister swiftly invited all those that are concerned as far as our road construction and reconstruction are concerned. He has directed that FEMA moves into that spot immediately and fix those areas.
Continuing Bello said, “Not only that, the road that links when coming from Okene, Lokoja, down to Abaji, between Kabba to Egbe, Umuaran to Ilorin and Ganaja village across to Shuntako, Dekina down to Ayangba, he has taken them very seriously and has promised that it will be well funded this time around.
“Also, the rehabilitation of Muritala Mohammed bridge, you know is only one lane that is being used, so he has actually called the contractors to ensure that why speedily complete that project in view of the ember months that we are in now.
“You will recall that last July, I was on the road for five hours directing traffic in that area, so he expressed his concern also, moving forward federal government is going to fund the various contractors to ensure that those road infrastructure are completed.
“They are doing excellently well with road infrastructure across the country but we want more attention to be paid to Kogi State, because it is the gate way between the north and south because, if our road is cut off even FCT is going to suffer for it”, he concluded.
