Last Wednesday, there was a case of gas pipeline explosion at Arepo, Ogun State.
The incident caused panic among residents of Arepo, Magboro, and other neighbouring communities.
The pipeline which is located close to The Punch newspaper company was ruptured while Julius Berger was carrying out construction work in the Arepo area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The pipeline which is located close to The Punch newspaper company was ruptured while Julius Berger was carrying out construction work in the Arepo area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
This led to chaotic situation within and around the enviroment with the initial standstill traffic situation on both sections of the expressway. This led to a howling sound capable of imparing hearing abilities of the residents for nearly two hours
Although it was said that the gas pipeline was unintentionally ruptured by the Julius Berger staff, due to road construction activity, the incident led to traffic gridlock on both inward and outward sections of the expressway, with the attendant losses.
Although DCC Kehinde G Hamzat
Corridor Commander
Lagos-Ibadan-Egbeda Corridor of the Federal Road Safety Commission issued travel advisory later urging motorists not to panic as professionals were being contacted to take care of the situation, there was neither the visible presence of Julius Berger senior staff nor emergency management staff throughout the almost two hours that the incident lasted.
Specifically, the incident started around 9:40 and lasted until 11:30am. It was around 11:20am that one fire service water tanker was cited when the explosion had simmered almost completely.
According to our correspondent, who covered the event throughout, there are bitter lessons to be learnt as well as exposing our usual lackadaisical attitude to management of emergencies, even as a nation.
Other disturbing developments agitating the minds of some stakeholders were some missing gaps and clear abdication of responsibilities by the the construction giant, which, for instance did not have any senior staff there at the time of the incident, but only the workers, who abandoned the vehicles for their lives.
Perhaps, few probing questions would surfice here:
Firstly, why did management of Julius Berger leave the workers without the presence of other professionals like the engineers?
Secondly, in spite of the warning inscriptions on the signboards of presence of underlay pipes, why should the staff, who was alone on the escavator decide to embark on such venture?
Thirdly, some senior staff of the company were alleged to be in their camp at warewa, few meters from the place of the incident and why did they not show up?
Fourthly, the usual impunity in our body politics was displayed by the construction giant without showing remorse or even apologising to the residents for the physical and phychological trauma and losses?
Beside the personal losses by some individuals scampering to safety, some children in the surrounding estates were said to have fainted as a result of the horrific and terrifying sound and had to be rushed to hospital.
For instance, the management of Praisehill estate, one of the surrounding estates had to advise the residents to shut down generators and cookers until the blast was brought under control.
“EVACUATION ALERT
THE GAS LEAKAGE IS TOO LONG AND ALREADY CHOKING! WE SHOULD ALL JUST SHUT ALL COOKING EQUIPMENT & GENERATORS AND EVACUATE THE ESTATE NOW.
ALL GATES CLOSED TO Entry,“ one of the statements issued on the platform read.
It is however heart warming to learn that supplies of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into Lagos had since commenced and repairs are concluded on the ruptured pipeline through mobilisation of specialists by the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company.
The ongoing road construction, which the public may have lost the actual date for completion has inflicted and still inflicting untold hardship on traveller’s as well as the residents along the road.
One can leave Arepo in the morning and discover by the time he’s coming back from Lagos that the junction used in the morning has been cordoned and either go further to Magboro either to turn or go back and take the untarred road from Kara junction.
“Please we need to educate Julius Berger on the need to consider the people during construction and create alternative routes….. linking up the expressway to Lagos was really hectic.
Since JB Site office is at Wawa now..we can get our CDA to discuss with them on the need to be Humane with the On-going Construction Work,“ according to a concerned resident in Arepo.
