Explosion: Makinde signs order on safe handling of harmful substances
By Adewale Owoade
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, has signed Executive Order 001 of 2024 on the safe handling of harmful substances.
Makinde, while signing the order in his office in Ibadan, said that the state now had the Executive Order as a law.
“We are signing the Executive Order 001 of 2024, and this is on the safe-handling and storage of harmful substances within Oyo State.
“We are doing this in light of the unfortunate incident at Bodija, where explosives were stored in a residential area. So, dated today, 31st of January 2024, we have the Executive Order, which is now a law in the state,” Makinde said
The event had in attendance the Deputy Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo; Chief of Staff, Hon. Segun Ogunwuyi; and the Commissioner for Justice/Attorney-General, Barr. Biodun Aikomo.
The governor after signing the executive order, proceeded to Ground Zero, site of the incident, where he monitored progress of work there.
Addressing newsmen at the site, the governor stressed that the state government is taking all necessary actions to prevent a recurrence of the January 16 explosion in the state.
He said the structural integrity tests on buildings around the site had been concluded, adding that the state government would officially receive the report next week.
“We have scheduled an expanded meeting for Tuesday. After that meeting, we should be in the position to lay out what next step we are going to take to launch out.”
Also speaking with newsmen, the Attorney-General, Barr. Biodun Aikomo, said the law was not necessarily about explosives, as that is on the exclusive legislative list, saying that there were many other harmful substances.
“If you store gas in a way that is irresponsible and can make heat trigger an explosion, it becomes harmful and would have the same dangerous consequences that are negative to human existence.
“So, what this Order has done is to say that the government, not being super-human, cannot know what people have stored in their respective homes. And it is to say, any company or individual that has harmful substances stored in residential houses should notify the state government.
“And this obligation takes effect immediately and they are required to report within 72 hours to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security.
“After that, the Special Adviser will arrange for evacuation in a very safe and decent manner, working with other law enforcement agencies.
“Going forward, anybody who has harmful substances in Oyo State, it does not matter if you have a licence to hold it, you have a duty to notify the Special Adviser to the governor so that we are sure you are not endangering the lives of other people around you.
“And this will be on until the governor revokes the Executive Order,” Aikomo said.(NAN)
