Tanker Explosion – My Professional Baptism Covering The Iju Ishaga Case

STORY & PICTURES BY FAVOUR EGBUOGU

The recent tanker explosion in Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos Nigeria, was a major test for me, being an upcoming journalist, who lacks the professional skills in reporting.

There was no doubt that having to go to cover the explosion was challenging, but then, reportorial challenge is something that any journalist would normally face.

I had woken up as early as 7:00am to get ready for an interview which was to take place at exactly 10:00pm on that faithful Thursday morning, got dressed and left the house and headed for the interview session.

I was about to be done with the interview, at about 2:35pm when I got a distress call from a source, telling me there have been a tanker explosion and fire along the Ajuwon , Iju ishaga road Lagos. I had to quickly round off the interview and off I left for the place of the disaster.

Even from a distance, I could see people in very sober moods, some crying, some wailing, and also some were running helter skater. I stood afar for a moment to study the situation.

-Explosion 2 –

Just then I witnessed with my own very eyes, what turned out to be the second explosion. In that flash, it threw me off my feet. Anyway, I recovered and, the opportunity to take even closer and clearer shots presented itself, and I took it.  Just then, another blast and explosion came, this time, with full force. Just before me, some lives lay dead.

At it turned out, a school bus with children had been involved. There were many other engaging scenes of the blast depending on where you stood at the time. I was almost a victim but to be candid, I had ran as far as my legs could carry me, as the balls of fire thrown by the explosion was splashing and threatening. Luckily, I was not caught up by the fire.

But sympathisers had begun to rally round the victims as much as they could. They battled the fire to the extent that I could come back for more, and shocking was what was left of the place.

On getting there I had to take video shut off properties worth millions of naira gutted up in fire as well as many lives which was also claimed at the process. It was indeed a disaster and an unexpected event that really got me off my feet.

One of the revelations is that the fire would not have gone as far as it did if the fire service quick in responding. It was not however clear if they were not alerted on time.

-Explosion 3 –

Coverage of this tanker explosion may be my first professional baptism, but I was glad to have covered it effectively.

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This is depste the fact that at that close shave with the fire, i felt trapped for a moment in the midst of the explosion.

Apparently, it involved two tankers one of which was a gas tanker and the other a fuel tanker. Observers said the gas tanker driver was impatient with the fuel tanker carrier. Under provocation, the gas tanker driver hit the fuel tanker driver and that brought about the fire explosion, and attendant loss of lives and property.