Scene of the explosion THE government of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, has continued to project an image of responsible g...
THE government of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, has continued to project an image of responsible governance.
While still demonstrating great capacity in the handling of the COVID-19 outbreak in the nation’s epicentre of the pandemic outbreak, the governor did not forget the promise he made to victims of the blast that killed 23 persons, destroyed 60 houses and rendered 586 people homeless in Shoba, Abule Ado on Sunday, March 15, 2020.
After his several visits to assess the extent of the tragedy, Sanwo-Olu had launched the N2bn Emergency Relief Fund which he immediately supported with N250 million.
On Thursday, April 23, 2020, just a little over five weeks after the explosion, the next of kin of the 23 dead victims were handed N2.5m each as compensation.
Before then, most of the victims had been accommodated in the state’s relief shelters, which was a very good thing because the nationwide shutdowns due to the Coronavirus pandemic was announced and enforced only a few days after the blast.
It would have been double jeopardy for the victims if they had been abandoned to their fates.
It would have been difficult for many of them to observe the stay-home strategy against the spread of the infection.
We are particularly delighted with the gesture of the state government because in Nigeria, abandonment of government’s responsibility to the people is the norm.
READ ALSO: Cross River: Kidnappers on rampage amidst COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown
When tragedies of this nature happen, government officials go through the motions of visiting scenes of the incidents, bath in the video and photo opportunities, make grandiloquent promises and disappear for good.
Ordinarily, the elaborate lockdowns and desperate battles with the pandemic are enough for any insincere government to conveniently forget the Abule Ado victims.
But the governor and his team still kept true to their promises. This is commendable, and we give them a pat on the back. However, we see the compensation for the relations of the dead as only the beginning, not the end. We hope the LASG is solving the problem from the deepest end of the pond towards the shallower end.
We hope that the fund raising towards the N2 billion target is continuing. This will help in extending financial rehabilitation to otherwise comfortable survivors suddenly rendered destitute by the blast.
This is very important. Even though no one expects government to restore the full values of the losses suffered, a helping hand for these people to rebuild their lives is essential.
Those manning our governments at all levels should know that the citizens’ welfare and security are their primary assignments. A government that disregards the welfare of the people is a curse, and does not deserve to stay a day longer in public office.
The people’s happiness and wellbeing matter a lot.
Kudos to Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.
The post Abule Ado: Kudos to LASG appeared first on Vanguard News.
No comments