Ubeji Explosion: Order contractor handling road project to speed up, lawmaker begs Okowa

The member representing Ubeji/Egbokodo constituency in Warri South Council Legislature Arm, Hon. Augustine Oritsebemigho Tete has appealed to Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to order the contractor handling the Ubeji Road expansion project in Warri South Local Government Area to speed up work on the project, saying the slow pace of the work and attitude of the tanker driver may be responsible for the inferno.

Hon. Tete who is a frontrunner in the Warri South Chairmanship race in the forthcoming Delta State Local Government election told newsmen Friday September 8 at Ubeji while taking stock of the damage caused by the fire that the incident could have been avoided if the contractor was working in-line with the pace of Governor Okowa.

While commending Governor Okowa for reawarding the road contract after ten years of delay under his predecessor, the Chairmanship hopeful appealed to those who lost properties worth millions of naira in the inferno to remain calm as efforts were ongoing to ensure that the company which owns the tanker pays the necessary compensation.

The inferno according to Hon. Tete which began at about 8:30pm Thursday September 7 affected about 1km stretch of shops and a branch of Winners Chapel at Ubeji, Warri.

According to the lawmaker, the swift response from fire fighters from neighbouring Nigeria Gas Company following the quick intervention of Chairman of Warri South Local Government, Hon. Matthew Mofe Edema and himself prevented the inferno from spreading to the densely populated residential area.

The affected tanker was said to be conveying over 30, 000 litres of diesel at a tank farm in Ifiekporo when it burst into flames at Ubeji Road, near Ubeji Grammer School.

Hon. Tete who is the Deputy Chief Whip of Warri South Legislature Arm admonished Depot owners in Ifiekporo to provide the necessary safety measures to avert a reoccurrence of Thursday night incident.

Some damaged buildings & electricity poles/cables near Bank Road, Ubeji, Warri

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