Lagos And Katsina — Federal Government last night established a National Relief Fund as a deliberate step to cushon the effect of the Ikeja Cantonment explosion on its victims.

Announcing the development in a nationwide radio broadcast, President Olusegun Obasanjo said the fund would be cordinated by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Obasanjo appealed to members of the public to contribute to the fund adding that "receipts will be issued for such contributions."

Admitting that no fewer than 600 Nigerians, mostly children, lost their lives, the President expressed condolence to the families and directed that today should be observed as a 'national mourning day'.

Besides, Obasanjo requested churches to observe a national prayer day for repose of the souls of the departed while flags are to fly at half mast nationwide.

He admitted that he inadvertently underestimated the degree of the explosion when he visited the scene of the incident at the cantonment earlier yesterday morning adding that later developments made his broadcast imperative. He, therefore, sued for calm and paryed for the repose of the souls of the departed.

Earlier in the day, Obasanjo visited the scene of the explosion, assuring victims that relief materials would immediately be provided to cushion the effect of their loss. He also ordered for a military enquiry of the incident.

Obasanjo who arrived the Ikeja Military Cantonment as early as 7.30 a.m. in company of Lagos State governor Bola Tinubu and Police Commissioner, Mike Okiro, was almost mobbed by grief-stricken victims and residents of Maryland where the military installation is located.

No sooner had the President's convoy screeched to a halt than the victims milled around him shouting "go inside, go inside," a situation which delayed him from alighting from his car for some time.

His securitymen had quite a task before the President disembarked from the vehicle after which he mounted the roof of the car to address the victims.

Describing their conduct as unruly, Obasanjo said the attitude of the victims would in no way salvage the already bad situation.

He said that he was not supposed to be at the scene but only took advantage of his presence in Lagos to visit the installation and the victims to assess the situation himself.

Obasanjo noted that he had been adequately briefed on the situation by Tinubu and the Brigade Commander.

He, therefore, assured the victims that government would spare no effort to reunite the families dislocated by the disaster.

Obasanjo also expressed the resolve of the government to provide relief measures to mitigate the impact of the explosion, adding that "all that is needed to be done will be done."

Shortly after addressing the residents, Obasanjo who was apparently acting on security reports that visiting the centre of the explosions was unsafe later discussed in hushed tones with Tinubu outside the cantonment before departing for the airport enroute Abuja.

Later yesterday in Katsina, Obasanjo expressed gratitude to all Nigerians for their sympathy over the explosions at Ikeja Cantonment.

Speaking at a reception held in his honour at Polo Ground, Katsina, Obasanjo said he was impressed by the several phone calls from Nigerians and was deeply encouraged.

He said he visited the Cantonment before coming to Katsina and that there was no cause for alarm and thanked Nigerians for their support.

He described the accident as unfortunate and said the government would take adequate measures to prevent such occurrence in the future.

Obasanjo urged people to have faith in the country because thre lies the salvation of the nation.

At the airport, Tinubu who said he was mandated by the President to address journalists described the incident as most unfortunate.

"It is most unfortunate but let's thank God. Nations do face this kind of disaster and it is only through the protection of God that we take solace. It is just unfortunate that this kind of disaster is happening just like any other disaster.

"I think what should happen now is that we should be less bureaucratic about the safety of our weapons and ammunition. Ikeja Cantonment has been built over the years and these ammunition have been kept in the bunkers over the years when the cantonment was even a bush.

"What should happen is that we must always take proactive measures about safety. Peace keeping items from overseas are kept there. What has happened is a warning bell and a wake up call on Nigerians," Tinubu said.

He disclosed that a technical panel of enquiry will be constituted within the military to unearth the cause(s) of the disaster in order to check a recurrence.

The Lagos State Governor also echoed plans to reunite families dislocated by the explosion, adding that efforts were afoot by the Army, Police and other agencies in this regard.

He said that some of the victims of the explosion were already taking refuge at the Lagos State government official residence at Isaac John Street, Maryland, adding that quite a number of houses had their roofs blown off by the explosions.

Meanwhile, officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) yesterday began an on-the-spot assessment of the damage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport occasioned by vibrations from the explosions.

The assessment was carried out by the directors and other top managers of the parastatal.

At the Presidential Wing of the airport which suffered enormous destruction some of the officials were overheard lamenting that repair works would gulp huge sums of money to execute.

Among the areas affected by the explosions were the Presidential Wing of the airport, some parts of the General Aviation Terminal 2 (GAT 2) still under construction and some parts of the terminal at the international wing.

Also, Governor Segun Osoba of Ogun State has congratulated his Lagos State counterpart over the manner the latter was able to handle Sunday's bomb explosion incident. Osoba noted that Tinubu's mature handling of the issue doused the tension that built up in the state.

Osoba who was in Lagos partly to see President Obasanjo off as well as pay a solidarity visit to Tinubu praised his Lagos counterpart for his maturity.