Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has, on Wednesday, signed into law Executive Order 001, 2024, on the safe handling and storage of harmful substances in the state.
In a brief signing ceremony, which held at the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Secretariat, Ibadan, Governor Makinde said the move became imperative in light of the unfortunate incident at Bodija, Ibadan, the state capital, where explosives were stored in a residential area.
He said: “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.”
The event had in attendance the Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal; Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo; Chief of Staff, Segun Ogunwuyi; and the Commissioner for Justice/Attorney-General, Biodun Aikomo.
Following the signing of the order, the governor and his entourage proceeded to Ground Zero, the site of the incident, where he monitored the progress of the work going on there.
Addressing newsmen at the site, the governor declared that there is now a law in place to guide the handling of harmful substances in the state, stressing that the state government is taking all necessary action 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, and the state government would officially receive the report next week.
The governor revealed that on the medical side, most patients have already been discharged with only one person awaiting surgery.
Makinde clarified that the incident was not a terrorist attack as some people were insinuating, noting that it occurred because some individuals stored explosives in a residential area.
He declared that with the Executive Order 001 on Safe Handling of Harmful Substances, a recurrence of such incident would be prevented, as there would be zero tolerance for those who break the law.
Makinde stated: “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, Aikomo, maintained that the law is not necessarily about explosives, as that is on the exclusive legislative list, but that there are many other harmful substances, such as gas, which if stored in an irresponsible manner could make heat trigger an explosion and have the same dangerous consequences that are negative to human existence.
He stated: “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.
The Attorney-General explained that after a report is made, the special adviser, working with other law enforcement agencies, would arrange for evacuation in a very safe and decent manner.
Aikomo noted that anybody who has harmful substances in the state, regardless of whether they have a license to hold it or not, is duty-bound to notify the special adviser to the governor so as to ensure that the lives of other people around are not being endangered, affirming that the law will be on until the governor revokes the Executive Order.
Dominica Nwabufo
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