FLASHBACK: Reverend sister who died in Lagos explosion told students ‘about transition’ in 2019

When Henrietta Alokha, administrator of Bethlehem Girls College, was speaking to students of the Lagos school about survival in 2019, she had meant every word, even if that meant putting her life at risk to ensure they remain alive.

But little did she know she was not going to survive what was coming her way eight months later. Less than a year after that interaction with the students, she lost her life trying to save them from the gas explosion that hit the school on Sunday.

Alokha, a reverend sister, could not make it out of the collapsed school after assisting students that were trapped to escape from the scene.

In a THISDAY report, the deceased was quoted to have told graduating students of the school about their “transition” to the society, adding that that they would survive life after school.

She had said the students came into Bethlehem Girls’ college “innocent, naive and probably with high expectations and a drive to achieve excellence.”

“Today is a time to be thankful, having come to the end of this part of their lives in secondary school. That new phase is transition,” she added.

“You must have gone through challenges that are peculiar to your age, and probably wonder if you can survive outside. Yes, you can. In all, put God first for your academic excellence.”

The explosion which claimed the life of Alokha and about 14 others was said to have occurred after a truck hit some gas cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant in the area.