By Joe Akwarandu
Umuahia
Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has or­dered the immediate establishment of a panel of en­quiry that would unravel the immediate and remote causes of the pipeline explosion that led to death of about 19 persons at Umuaduru and Umuimo vil­lages in Osisioma, Ngwa Local Government Area last Friday.
Ikpeazu gave the directive shortly after visiting the site of the carnage where he inspected the extent of damage caused by the petroleum fire.

Besides directing the Com­missioner for Petroleum Re­sources, Hon. Chizurum Kanu, to inaugurate the probe panel, the governor also instructed the Commissioner for Health, Dr John Ahukannah and Chair­man of Osisioma Local Govern­ment Area, Chief Ihenyinna Mg­beahuru, to visit the surviving victims of the explosion at the various hospitals and ensure that government provided them with adequate medicare as well as pay their medical bills.
He described the incident as disheartening and unfortunate, urging families of those who lost their lives as a result of the pipeline explosion to take heart and prayed God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss.

Abia first lady, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu also visited some vic­tims of the pipeline explosion at Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba where she paid for the treatment of the victims and prayed for them.
She also used the opportunity to pay for the treatment of a 10- year-old boy who was burnt by high tension electric cables.
Meanwhile, the Senator Rep­resenting Abia Central Senato­rial District at the national as­sembly, Senator Theodore Orji, has expressed sadness over the loss of lives and properties in the pipeline fire.

Orji, who also visited the scenes of the incident attribut­ed the the inferno to negligence by the Nigerian National Pe­troleum Corporation (NNPC), assuring that he would quickly swing into action by reporting the incident to the relevant Fed­eral Government agencies for immediate intervention.
He charged the security oper­atives in the state to be diligent in their duties and condemned the action of some security op­eratives who allegedly collected money from the people scooping fuel from the leaking petroleum pipes before the disaster.

Earlier while taking the sena­tor round the scenes of the explo­sion, the Executive Chairman of Osisioma Ngwa LGA, Chief Iheyinna Mgbeahuru, said the explosion was due to leakages from the NNPC pipelines in the area, explaining that it was not by pipeline vandalisation as be­ing speculated by some media outfits.
He blamed the inferno on the negligence of the NNPC man­agement whom he said were written several occasions about the leaking pipelines.
Stating that the activities of the NNPC depot in the area pose a serious threat to the lives of the people living around council, he thanked Senator Orji for coming to condole with the council.

Contributing, the immedi­ate past member representing Osisioma Ngwa North State Constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly and the Special Adviser to the Gover­nor on Health, Dr. Ikechukwu Nwabeke, Eze Ikechukwu Chi­avoghilefu and Chief Ogechi Chilee, thanked Senator Orji for coming to sympathize with them, describing him as a father and friend and a man with hu­man feeling
They said that the death toll would have been more if not for the eight health care centres where the victims were first taken for first aid treatment, which were built by Senator Orji for the LGA when he was the governor of the state.

https://orientdailynews.com.ng/news/ikpeazu-demands-probe-osisioma-pipeline/




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