Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, visited the site of last week’s explosion at Bodija, Ibadan, on Friday, promising to mandate the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to prioritise fixing the electricity infrastructure damaged as a result of the explosion.
He said the mandate would include prompt replacement of transformers, electric poles, and power cables.
Addressing some of the residents, Adelabu added that he would supervise to ensure that light is quickly restored to the area, which has been in the dark since last Tuesday.
He said, “Electricity infrastructure here has been damaged. Electric poles were uprooted, power lines were cut, and transformers were blown off. This is within my jurisdiction as Minister of Power.
“So, I’ll get in touch with the management of IBEDC to give priority attention to immediately fixing the electricity infrastructure here.
“I’ll personally supervise to ensure this is promptly done in terms of replacing the transformers, replacing the electric poles, and re-conducting the area in terms of power cables. This has to be done. They must not live in darkness. We’ll stand by them.”
Identifying the need to provide lasting succour to the victims of the disaster, Adelabu promised to put pressure on relevant ministries, departments, and agencies of the federal government to provide necessary relief.
He stressed that the federal government, state governments, non-governmental agencies, and well-meaning individuals must all make donations to ameliorate the losses suffered by the victims.
Speaking further, Adelabu said attention must be given to the health of victims to ascertain their state and prevent health issues that may later surface.
In his remarks, the incident manager, Professor Temitope Alonge, said some of the victims grappled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bronchitis.
He stressed that some victims also faced PTSD-related issues of lack of sleep and feeling unhappy, while others trembled at any loud sound.
Alonge, however, said clinical psychologists had been engaged to continue to speak with the victims to enable them to quickly come out of PTSD and live their lives as before the explosion.
He urged victims to report symptoms they couldn’t explain to the Emergency Operations Centre for the incident.
Alonge said, “The social effects are being managed. We have clinical psychologists who have accessed the victims manifest as lack of sleep, feeling unhappy, and people as far as 600 metres away.
“An old woman came to register at the Emergency Operations Centre, and any sound that is a little bit higher than normal causes her to tremor.
“So, PTSD has started manifesting. There are also those who have bronchitis by way of cough and catarrh.”
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