[The Nation] Still On The Lagos Bomb Blast....

SIR: That a lady suicide-bomber was able to drive a Toyota Sienna to Folawiyo fuel depot on Creek road, Apapa, on June 25, to detonate a bomb, despite the security measures put in place by Lagos State government shows how vulnerable Lagos residents are to potential insurgents attacks.

Though the Lagos State government made frantic efforts to manage the information when it initially claimed that it was an industrial accident, the die has been cast; now, the government had better accept the reality and start to face the challenges to prevent any future attacks. To avoid another incident, all hands must be on deck to pull the country back from the brink. It will be catastrophic to allow the terrorists to have free access to operate in Lagos considering its population, economic and strategic position to the economic survival of the nation.

The federal government should as matter of urgency spread their security networks to Lagos State. Though the Murtala Mohammed International Airport has been put under tight security, this is not the time for politicking but for patriotic steps to be taken to nip terrorism in the bud in the state. The federal government should put the military and paramilitary institutions in Lagos State on red alert.  Lagos must not be allowed to witness any attack again, being the economic hub of Nigeria, nay West Africa, and Africa at large. All the celebrations of being the largest economy in Africa, claims of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) that make Nigeria an investment destination will fizzle out if Lagos is allowed to suffer any further terrorists attack.

The imperative of close circuit television cameras (CCTV) in major strategic places cannot be over emphasized. The citizens themselves have to wake up and smell the coffee in ensuring neighbour to neighbour intimacy for sound intelligence gathering, so as to fish out any marauder in their midst and report any strange character or suspicious movement to security personnel for prompt investigation or possible arrest.

The security officers should strive to earn the respect and confidence of the masses by being civil in their conduct and disposition to the civilians in Lagos, by treating all vital information received with highest level of confidentiality. The time has come to tell the world that we are our brother’s keepers and that in the South-west, we place premium on sanctity of human lives and our existential humanity. We are not saboteurs who will collude with the ruthless blood suckers. Every landlord/landlady should know the profile of his/her tenants, community associations should be vigilant without compromise.

I want to commend the efforts of the state government, for being proactive by ordering tight security at major fuel installations, putting the state fire fighters on standby, expanding the capacity of state hospitals to be able to handle any emergency with mass casualty. The immediate increase of blood stocks and the purchase of new ambulances for any unforeseen eventualities and causalities at the hospitals and health centres are signs of a caring government.

Finally, it will be apposite for fuel tank farms in Apapa to relocate and decongest the area of trucks and articulated vehicles that use the road as park. The news that federal government has issued 24hrs ultimatum for the shippers and truckers at Apapa to remove their vehicles is a welcome development.

• Pastor Mark Debo Taiwo,

Takie, Ogbomoso.