CONTROVERSIAL FG’S APPROVAL OF N50 BILLION BODIJA EXPLOSION RELIEF FUND:
Oyo State Government’s Justification is Hollow and Unconvincing
SPN Reiterates Demand for Adequate Compensation for Victims and Immediate Establishment of an Independent and Credible Panel to Thoroughly Investigate the Tragedy and Ensure Justice
By Ayodeji Adigun State Secretary, SPN, Oyo State
Barely two years after the tragic bomb explosion in the Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo State, the recent controversy surrounding the revelation of an undisclosed Federal Government–approved relief fund of ₦50 billion for victims of the incident clearly vindicated the position earlier taken by the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN). In its public statement of January 18, 2024, the SPN had warned that the Seyi Makinde-led Oyo State Government could not be trusted to guarantee adequate compensation for the victims or to ensure transparency and accountability in the handling of relief funds. We also doubted the sincerity of the government to carry out a thorough investigation of the incident which has resulted in the loss of multiple lives, widespread destruction of properties worth several billions of naira, displacement of families, and the total destruction of livelihoods, leaving entire communities devastated, traumatized, and struggling to survive.
Despite the magnitude of this tragedy, many surviving victims and bereaved families of the explosion continue to agitate for adequate compensation and justice. This is an open indication that the response of the Oyo State Government has been slow, inadequate, and deeply insensitive to the suffering of the affected people. Even the paltry sum of ₦2.4 billion, which the state government claimed to have disbursed as relief, was not released until victims were compelled to stage a protest during the first anniversary of the explosion. This delay clearly demonstrates a lack of empathy and urgency on the part of the administration. A responsible and people-oriented government would not have waited for public pressure before taking action in a matter involving loss of lives, displacement, and the complete ruin of livelihoods.
For us in the SPN, the central issue is not merely whether the Federal Government approved ₦30 billion or ₦50 billion, as conflicting figures have been reported in the media. Rather, the more fundamental questions are why the Oyo State Governor failed to publicly disclose both the request for and the receipt of such a substantial relief fund, and why a huge amount meant to provide urgent succour for victims was kept in a fixed account while affected families continued to live in pain, homelessness, poverty, and psychological trauma. It is morally indefensible and socially unjustifiable for a government to withhold emergency relief funds while victims of a catastrophic incident are left to fend for themselves under extremely harsh conditions.
This kind of attitude has further exposed the hollowness of the Makinde administration’s much-publicized claims of transparency and accountability. If not for media reports—particularly the investigative publication by Punch Newspaper on December 28, 2025—the general public, including surviving victims and bereaved families, might never have known that such a relief fund was approved by the Federal Government in the first place. This revelation underscores the disturbing lack of openness, accountability, and genuine concern for the suffering of the working people and oppressed communities in Oyo State.
The SPN therefore rejects all attempts by the Oyo State Government and its spokespersons to justify this scandalous handling of the Bodija explosion relief fund. Such explanations are hollow, baseless, and insulting to the intelligence and lived realities of the victims. The party commends the resilience of the victims of the explosion and unequivocally declares its solidarity with their continued struggle for adequate compensation and justice.
However, the SPN emphasizes that this struggle must be broadened and strengthened by building a wider support base across the state. There is an urgent need to reach out to trade union organizations such as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), as well as civil society organizations including the Joint Action Front (JAF), religious bodies, professional associations, and community-based organizations across Oyo State. Such a joint effort is necessary to amplify the voices of the victims and apply sustained pressure on the state government to act responsibly.
Furthermore, the SPN calls for mass actions, including peaceful protests and other democratic forms of struggle, as a means of compelling the government to accede to the legitimate demands of the victims. Experience has repeatedly shown that justice and accountability are rarely achieved without organized and sustained pressure from below. In addition to adequate compensation, the demands must include the immediate inauguration of an independent, transparent, and people-driven panel of inquiry, including members of NBA, media and credible civil society organisations, empowered to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the explosion and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy.
It is our strong belief in SPN that such an open, credible, and investigatory process can ensure meaningful compensation and justice for those whose lives and livelihood have been terribly damaged by the explosion. We of the SPN shall continue to remain steadfast in our commitment for the defense of the working people including the victims, and oppressed people in Oyo State especially in their struggle for justice, accountability, and a society that places human lives and welfare of the people above self-serving interest and greed of a few.