The governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, enacted Executive Order 001, 2024 on Wednesday, governing the handling and storage of hazardous materials inside the state.
A clause in the order granted the governor a seventy-two-hour window in which anyone in the state with explosives of any type had to declare them.
The new legislation was passed around two weeks after an explosion on January 16 in the Adeyi neighborhood of Old Bodija, Ibadan, shook the state capital, leaving five people dead and 77 injured. The blast also damaged 58 dwellings.
Makinde stated that although the Federal Government has opened an inquiry into the event, a preliminary investigation connected the explosion to some explosives that some miners had been unlawfully storing in the residential area.
“Failure to comply with the provisions of this Executive Order, including the doing of any act concerning, or omission to take proper precautions against any probable danger from any explosive in possession of any person, shall constitute an offence and shall be punishable under Chapter 38 of the Criminal Code Law, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000 and any other applicable Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Makinde declared.
At a brief signing ceremony at the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Ibadan, on Wednesday, Makinde said the signing of the Executive Order became imperative in the light of the January 16 incident.
According to him, the law is on the safe handling and storage of harmful substances in the state.
He expressed optimism that the new law would prevent a recurrence of the January 16 explosion in the state.
In the Executive Order, obtained by The PUNCH, the governor stated that it had become necessary to strengthen the existing regulatory framework connected with the handling of harmful substances “to ensure comprehensive risk mitigation and proactive prevention of accidents, misuse, or any other illegal or criminal activity involving harmful articles or substances.”
He declared, “Pursuant to Sections 5(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), and all other laws and enabling powers in that regard I, Engr. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde (FNSE), the Executive Governor of Oyo State of Nigeria, hereby makes the following order:
“All individuals resident in, and companies operating within Oyo State, in possession of (directly, indirectly or constructively by virtue of company directorship) harmful articles or substances of any kind (i.e., that can be detonated by pressure, heat, impact trigger, fuse, proximity, timing-device, remote control or howsoever), irrespective of quantity or purpose, or hazard characteristics, are hereby mandated to immediately notify the Special Adviser to the Governor of Oyo State on Security of such possession.
“Notification in paragraph 1 above, in respect of such substances already in possession as at the effective date of this order, shall be made within 72 hours of the effective date of this order, and subsequently, not later than 24 hours upon coming in possession of any such substances; and must include a comprehensive inventory detailing: the type, quantity, and precise location of all such substances possessed; the purpose of possession and any relevant licences or permits held; and security measures currently in place for storage and handling.”
