Jonathan
No fewer than 10 members of the cultural troops invited from Yobe State to entertain President Goodluck Jonathan during his campaign visit to Bauchi have lost their lives in a ghastly motor accident at Zongoro village near Bauchi yesterday.
Daily Sun learnt that the victims died when the 18-seater bus conveying them to Bauchi collided with a car and somersaulted several times while the bus went up in flames in the process.
An eyewitness said seven of the victims were burnt beyond recognition while three others died at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.
The Head of Operations of the Federal Road Safety, Bauchi (FRSC), Haruna Mbashi confirmed the accident to newsmen.
Mbashi said: “We were on alert trying to assist people during the president’s visit to ease traffic congestion when someone called on phone to inform us about the accident.
“We immediately went to the scene to rescue the victims and took them to the Bauchi Teaching Hospital and we also evacuated the dead bodies to the hospital.”
When Daily Sun visited the teaching hospital mortuary, dead bodies of the first seven victims were seen on the floor of the mortuary including two corpses that were deposited in the refrigerator.
The remaining dead body was deposited at the accident and emergency centre while the hospital officials were preparing to move the dead body to the mortuary.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan oblivious of the development, had described the North-east region as the most marginalised in terms of social facilities being provided by the Federal Government.
Jonathan who said the situation was unacceptable, promised to give the people of the region a better deal if he becomes the president in 2010.
Jonathan made the remark in Bauchi yesterday while addressing North-east delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe states.
The president, who was accompanied by the Vice President, Namandi Sambo was reacting to lamentations by delegates from the North-east.
The meeting was attended by governors of Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba states, the National Vice Chairman of the PDP in the North-east, Paul Wampana, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Bayero Nafada, Senator Jibril Aminu, Jonathan Zwingina, among several dignitaries.
Several governorship, senatorial and other aspirants of the party from the six states in the zone also graced the meeting with their supporters causing heavy traffic holdup outside the multi-purpose hall, venue of the meeting witnessed by heavy security presence.
Governor Danjuma Goje of Gombe State noted that it was a disappointing that his state had not received a fare deal from the Federal Government to reciprocate massive support given to the party by the Gombe people in the 2003 and 2007 elections. On his part, a member representing Ningi Federal Constituency, Abdul Ningi said “in the North-east, we have been marginalised by successive governments. Since 1966, we are at the bottom of the ladder in terms of facilities and human resources.”
Senator Grace Bent (Adamawa) opined that women in the North-east were among the most marginalised in the country, saying that the low number of women attending the North-east meeting with the president points to that fact. Former FCT minister, Abba Gana said there hadbeen a ray of hope with the exploration of oil by the present administration led by President Jonathan in the Chad Basin.
Responding, the president assured that besides the massive roads projects his administration had initiated since coming to office in the region, he promised to establish a federal university in Yobe State in the next two years if he becomes the president. He promised not to disappoint the people of the region when he eventually becomes the president.
Jonathan said: “I am not one to play politics of deceit, anything I say I will do, I will do it except it becomes inexplicable.”
Source:Sun
No comments:
Post a Comment