It was a pathetic spectacle to behold lately when on January 27, 2014, victims of the January 27, 2002 Ikeja bomb blasts carried placards to protest poor compensation and outright neglect by the authorities, 12 long years after the avoidable incident. It was widely acclaimed that the explosions were caused by the negligence of the Nigerian Army and the government. Recall that the bomb explosions led to the deaths of over 1,200 people; 5,000 others injured; 20,000 displaced and over 12,000 left homeless. Indeed, the massive deaths were witnessed when people fleeing from the Ikeja military cantonment, the source of the blasts through Ajao Estate perished in the marshy Oke-Afa canal while trying to connect Ejigbo.
At the anniversary of the gory incident, bereaved families and the divers who retrieved the bodies from the canal protested the way the Lagos State Government, for example, handled the issue of compensation. Mostly clad in black attires, they stormed the venue of the anniversary with placards on which their different grouses were inscribed. The state governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), had during the occasion, christened the 2.1km bridge the state recently constructed to properly link Ajao and Ejigbo as the ‘January 27 Link Bridge’ in memory of the victims that died in the swampy Oke-Afa canal.
Stories of the shabby treatment the families of victims of the blasts have received so far were narrated by members of the ‘2002 Ikeja Bomb Blast Victim Family’, which has Mr. Nurudeen Oyegbemi as chairman and Mr. Christopher Ise as vice chairman. Both Oyegbemi and Ise lost a son each to the blasts. Reports said in 2003, a presidential committee on the disaster offered N500, 000 each to the families of the dead, while N250, 000 apiece was paid to families of missing persons. Oyegbemi stated, for example, that the money was initially rejected by the families because it was too meager, compared to the losses victims suffered; and the committee promised to give more compensation. They (victims’ families) later accepted the offers, based on the promise of the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Ukot Ekaete that the FG would increase the amount. Of course, that was the end of the story. Oyegbemi said in 2012, the Lagos State Government decided to compensate the families of the victims and also made promises, which it is yet to fulfill. He said out of the 154 recognised victims, only 70 were actually compensated to the tune of N250, 000 each.
“During the presentation of the cheques, we pointed out to the governor that 84 people were left out. In 2013, as a follow up, we went to the office of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, but we were told that the state government recognised only 70, even though the FG recognises 154. We took complaint to the Lagos State House of Assembly and we were told to submit relevant documents, which we did. In November 2013, we were told that the state government would not give us money as it could not mourn every year. Even the scholarships which the state government pledged were no longer being paid. The government promised scholarship to 10 selected persons who lost their parents in the bomb blast. They were given N100, 000 once and that was it”, Oyegbemi stated.
While applauding the symbolic gesture of naming ‘January 27 Link Bridge’ in memory of the victims, we see it as a mere tokenism, considering the poor compensation families of the victims have received so far from both the federal and Lagos State governments. We reason within the context of other fundamental issues that have either been papered over or neglected outright by the relevant authorities since the incident struck 12 years ago. Issues of adequate compensation for victims and unfulfilled scholarships promised children of the victims are still lingering, for example. The non-resolution of these issues will constantly remind Lagosians and, indeed, all Nigerians of the unfortunate incident. The authorities, have they been truly responsive and interested in reducing human suffering, ought not be reminded of the need to take measures to address the vexed issues.
Narional Mirror
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