One Explosion Too Many

Articles

One Explosion Too Many

By Olamide Ayeni
May 15, 2006

Recently, there was a petroleum explosion in Nigeria where over 200 souls lost their lives. As at the time I’m filing this reports, 209 dead bodies had been recovered. Some of them were burnt beyond recognition while some were partly burnt. Most of the victims of this common and deadly explosion were citizens of the country who because of the poverty epidemic, took solace in siphoning oil from burst pipelines. The so- called oil thieves were having a filled day scooping oil into their jerry cans when death took them.

Frankly speaking, the act of scooping oil from burst pipeline is ungodly and uncalled for. I strongly believe that no matter what you are going through, if you take what does not belong to you then, you are a thief. The question that is rendering the air is, how many Nigerians believe that scooping oil from burst pipelines is an act of stealing? How many Nigerians can be so faithful to just walk past a burst pipeline without having a second thought? Why is it that case of burst pipeline is now a headache for the nation? Why is it that when burst pipelines cases are reported to the appropriate authority, little or nothing is been done?

I want to say here that the fault lies largely on the shoulder of the federal government. Yes, everybody says those people that died asked for it. I believe that too. I believe they all had the chance to live but blew it because of greed and selfishness. I believe they all died because their integrities were below zero but, that is all we can say. They are dead and gone forever.

Firstly, the main fault lies with the owner of the burst pipeline. Need I say that the burst pipeline belong to the Nigerian national petroleum corporation (NNPC). This recent case was not the first time that NNPC pipeline will burst. As a matter of fact, just last month there was another case too where the affected villagers had to run from their houses for safety. The NNPC was called and there was no quick response from them prompting the villagers to take to their heels.

In a country like Nigeria, where chicken lives are of more value than human lives, where cows are preferred to humans, where the cheapest commodity is death, where citizens don’t have worth, where there is no brotherly love. Someone now said we should blame the victims. The slogan on everybody’s tongue is WHO CARES. I can’t blame the dead soul. Even if the NNPC was called, would they have respond quickly? We as Nigerian need to face the reality of the whole matter, our jubilation is still pending. It can only be realized by our unity, equity and love.

Hear the conclusion of the whole matter, he who builds a glass house doesn’t throw stones. What goes around comes around. Anything we do now echoes in eternity. It’s well.

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Email Olamide Ayeni: mypassion4real@yahoo.com

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