IBADAN — Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, stated that the federal government will wait for the investigation into the explosion in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, to conclude before making any statements.
Alake visited the scene of the incident in Ibadan on Monday and then met with Seyi Makinde, the Governor of Oyo.
The explosion occurred on January 17 on Dejo Oyelese Street in the Bodija area of Ibadan, resulting in five confirmed deaths and 77 reported injuries.
Makinde announced on Sunday that over 90 percent of the explosion victims have been discharged from the hospital.
The Governor also mentioned that initial investigations indicate that the explosion was caused by explosive devices stored in a residential apartment by illegal miners.
After assessing the situation, Alake thanked Makinde for his efforts in handling the situation.
The minister further stated that President Bola Tinubu, to whom Makinde had provided a report on the event, was impressed with the governor’s handling of the matter.
“He has done well in terms of the speed of his response to this unfortunate incident. You recall that I told you that the president put a phone call through to Governor Makinde to commend and sympathize with him as well as the people of Oyo State, including the victims,” Alake said.
“So, this is a culmination of the establishment of the acknowledgement of the federal government on what the governor and the state government have done, which is very remarkable.
“The president is very impressed and we are all impressed too. Nobody wishes for any disaster but we wish that our people would respond commendably to any situation at all. And, on our own part, we immediately swung into action.
“We will allow the investigating agencies, various agencies, including technical and intelligence agencies to conclude their forensic investigations before we make any categorical and viable statement on the issue.”
Alake stated that the federal government will respond to all complaints and keep everyone aware at the conclusion of the investigations.
