President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday night, commiserated with the Government and people of Oyo State over the death of seven people as a result of the explosion that rocked Bodija, Ibadan, on Tuesday.
Seventy other victims suffered injuries from the blast, while many buildings were leveled by the impact of the explosion.
Akpabio’s sympathies were congested in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, in which the Senate President expressed sadness over the incident.
He stated, “With a heavy heart, I wish to commiserate with Governor Seyi Makinde, the good people of Oyo State and indeed victims and their families in this unfortunate occurrence. I am very distraught at this accident happening, especially at the beginning of the year.
“I pray that the Almighty God will forgive the sins of those who lost their lives in the explosion and welcome them in His kingdom. And for those who sustained injuries, it is my prayer that they will receive healing in good times. For the families that suffered different losses, may God replace all that they have lost.”
Akpabio urged the relevant interventionist agencies to come to the aid of the victims saying, “I urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other humanitarian groups to quickly assist the victims to ease the pain of their losses.
The Senate President equally praised the security agencies and other rescue workers for their bravery and prompt intervention during the explosion.
He, however, called for a thorough investigation to unearth the cause of the explosion in order to forestall further occurrences.
“I must commend the security agencies and other rescue workers for their prompt intervention, especially the bravery and high level of professionalism they exhibited when the explosion happened. I encourage you to keep up the good work.
“I also urge the relevant agencies to carry out a thorough investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the explosion so that adequate provisions could be made to prevent such fatal accidents in the future”, Akpabio assed.