Bodija Explosion Victims Seek Review as N30bn Federal Relief Fund Lies Idle

Victims of the January 16, 2024, deadly explosion in Ibadan’s Old Bodija area have intensified calls on the Oyo State Government to urgently review its compensation framework and ensure wider, fairer access to the N30bn federal intervention fund recently confirmed to be largely unused.

The renewed demands followed the state government’s disclosure that the N30bn released by the Federal Government as part of a N50bn reconstruction package for Bodija and surrounding communities remains untouched, while an additional N20bn balance is yet to be released.

Many affected residents argue that the revelation has raised fresh concerns about inequity in earlier disbursements, exclusion of some victims, and delays that have worsened the financial burden on households still struggling to rebuild nearly a year after the disaster.

Before the disclosure, the Oyo State Government said it had paid N4.085bn as compensation and support to victims and expended about N24.6bn from its own resources on emergency response, cleanup, and infrastructure repairs in the affected areas.

According to the state’s Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, the N30bn federal fund is currently domiciled in an infrastructure support account with FirstBank.

However, some victims say the funds already paid did not reflect the scale of losses suffered.

One of the worst-hit residents, Mohammed Danesi of 6 Aderinola Street, Old Bodija, whose apartment is next to the explosion’s epicentre, described the compensation he received as grossly inadequate. Danesi said his home suffered total destruction but that the amount paid to him did not align with the damage incurred.

“I received the support fund allocation of N1,435,610.62. It is pertinent to note that the impact assessment process was seemingly circumvented, despite my location being at the epicentre (ground zero) of the incident, resulting in 100 per cent loss,” he said.

He further questioned what he described as glaring inconsistencies in payments to victims in different locations.

“As the tenant of the building next to the epicentre, I incurred substantially greater losses compared to some landlords located outside the affected area. Some landlords outside the affected area only had their window glass broken and were paid over N20m. This disparity warrants a thorough examination and appropriate redress to ensure equitable treatment,” Danesi added.

Another victim, Mr John Morakinyo of Dejo Oyelese Street, said delays in accessing the federal intervention fund had forced some residents into debt.

“What we need right now is the payment of the money given to us by the Federal Government. We borrowed money to rebuild our houses and are paying interest on the borrowed funds. Some victims of the disaster have not even started rebuilding their houses,” he said.

Dr Coker Akinyele, whose property on Aderinola Street was destroyed in the explosion, also called for immediate disbursement from the untouched fund, noting that material losses and emotional trauma were still unresolved.

“I have received support money for the house lost, but not for the life lost on my property. No, I am not satisfied with the support received. I certainly would appreciate more.

“I absolutely want the state to disburse more money to the victims from the untouched N30bn,” Akinyele said.

Beyond individual complaints, the Bodija Residents Association has accused the compensation process of sidelining dozens of affected people due to claims of insufficient funds, claims residents now say are contradicted by the government’s own admission.

The association’s chairman, Muyiwa Bamgbose, said residents were demanding the reinstatement of victims previously excluded from payments.

“Our humble request is that all those items that were expunged based on the claim that there were no funds should now be reconsidered.

“Since the government itself has confirmed that it has the money, let the funds be used to support the people. We are not involved in any party fight between the APC and PDP over this matter; our concern is the plight of our people,” he said.

Bamgbose alleged that a committee led by Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal removed several claims, including damaged houses located more than 500 metres from the explosion’s epicentre, citing funding limitations. According to him, the excluded claims were valued at about N288m.

“There are some people removed from the list of beneficiaries who should be returned. Some houses were excluded because they were said to be beyond 500 metres, even though it was confirmed that they were damaged.

“For example, houses from Ajibade to Coca-Cola were close to the epicentre. The total amount involved was N288,855,000. They said they were not concerned about houses outside Bodija,” he said.

He added that although 335 houses were initially identified as affected, only 318 were approved for payment, leaving 17 damaged properties without compensation.

The residents’ leader also raised concerns about injured victims and vulnerable groups who received no financial support beyond medical treatment.

“There were people who were injured and traumatised. The government paid their hospital bills, but these people incurred more expenses beyond hospital treatment.

“There were 27 injured persons. We recommended N42.4m for them, but it was struck out because there was not enough money,” Bamgbose said.

He further disclosed that 12 elderly and vulnerable residents affected by the explosion were excluded from the initial N4.08bn disbursement, despite a recommendation of N30.57m.

Families who lost loved ones in the blast are also reportedly still waiting for assistance. Bamgbose said five such families had been unable to access support due to administrative hurdles linked to inheritance tax concerns.

“The five families who lost loved ones are yet to be paid. They were captured, but there were arguments about the inheritance tax. We appealed to the deputy governor to intervene, stressing that this is not an inheritance but support,” he said.

Efforts to obtain a response from the Oyo State Government were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Dotun Oyelade, were not returned as of the time of filing this report.