Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide (OYC) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to emulate former Nigeria’s Vice President and the 2019 presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, by visiting the victims of the fuel fire which happened in Abia State.
No fewer than 50 persons including soldiers and a nursing mother, were reportedly roasted to death while many others got varying degrees of injuries, when a petroleum pipeline exploded in Umuaduru and Umuimo villages in Osisioma council area of the state, last Friday.
Atiku, represented by his running mate and former Governor of ANambra State, Peter Obi, visited the scene of the incident and the victims of the fuel fire in company of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and commiserated with them over the tragedy.
Atiku subsequently donated the sum of N10 million to the families of the victims to enable them cushion the effect of the disaster.
In a statement issued yesterday by the President of the group, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and the Secretary General, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the OYC commended Atiku Abubakar for extending the milk of human kindness to the victims.
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OYC while commiserating with the victims of the disaster cautioned against oil bunkering which it reasoned could be the cause of the explosion.
The statement partly read: “We appreciate the 2019 PDP Presidential Candidate for the donation of N10 million to the families of the victims and sending in person his running mate, Mr. Peter Obi, to ascertain the damages at the sight of the pipeline explosion, and thanked Abia government for paying the hospital bills of those affected.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide calls on President Buhari to visit Osisioma oil pipe explosion site and see the victims, to ascertain the degree of bunkering and oil theft going, just like his counterpart Atiku has done as it will help to assuage the feelings of Ndigbo over past neglect”, the statement partly read.