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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Weeks after at least 150 persons were burnt in a fire breakout at an illegal refinery in Abaezi community, Egbema, Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, father of one of the victims, Mr. Uche Okwuodo, is yet to come to terms with the fact that his 17-year-old son, Onyekachi Okwuodo, is gone forever, to be seen no more.
He said, if he had had any premonition that his beloved son was to be consumed by the fire, he would have done everything possible to keep him home that fateful day.
Okwuodo, a carpenter, and his wife, a petty trader in their village, Etekuru, are still shattered by the incident. Tears have been their companion as they have remained inconsolable.
Okwuodo, who managed to speak to the correspondent in an emotion-laden voice, recalled how his son died in the tragic incident, leaving behind his dream of becoming a medical doctor.
Onyekachi, as his father narrated, accepted to work at the illegal refinery in order to save some money to fulfill his dream, when the unfortunate incident happened. More painful was that his presence at the illegal oil refinery on that fateful day was his first time. He was introduced to the illegal job at the refinery by his friend, who also died in the explosion.
The grieving father said: “I still cannot believe that my son Onyekachi is no more. We had great times together. He told me about his dream and he was reading and working hard to actualize it. I told him not to worry that, if he passes his JAMB, we would know what to do to raise money to further his education, but he has died with the dream.
“Onyekachi is the second out of my five children. He was well-behaved. He was 17 years old and wrote his SSCE exams last year and hoped to further his education, but death has ended everything for him.
“I still remember how he was introduced to to the job at the refinery by his friend. He had never been there before. His friend came to our house to fetch him and they left together. It was a journey of no return for the innocent boys.
“There are so many other youths working at the refinery, but I don’t think any of them is alive now after what we heard that happened there.”
Recalling how the news of the death of Onyekachi came to him, the father said: “I was at home when my first son rushed to the house and told me that his brother had been killed in that explosion, because a loud noise was heard all over the community.
“I could not and refused to believe it, until I followed him to the scene, but we could not get near there. The fire was too much. We had to watch it from afar and do nothing as the fire raged on. My son was being roasted to death and all I could do was to watch helplessly.”
A source from the community, who did not want his name mentioned, said the illegal refinery had provided temporary jobs to some youths of the community who could take risks.
Most of those working at the refinery were said to be youths who wanted to make brisk money at their own risk.
According to the source, most of the workers were youths from Ohaji/Egbema communities who could not find paid jobs, hence, resorted to the illegal refinery to keep body and soul together.
