Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has expressed sympathy to traders who lost properties in the fire outbreak that destroyed shops and goods at the Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan early Wednesday morning.
Represented by Deputy Governor Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal during an on-the-spot assessment, the governor conveyed the government’s condolences to the victims.
In a statement issued by Makinde’s media aide, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the governor assured that the government would evaluate the extent of the damage and provide immediate assistance once a detailed report is received.
Makinde also directed the Ibadan South-West Local Government and the LCDA to enhance security at the market and prepare a comprehensive report on the fire’s cause. He urged market leaders to compile a list of affected shops to facilitate recovery efforts.
He said: “On behalf of His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, I have come here today to commiserate with you over the sad incident. We thank God that no life was lost.
“This is a big and popular market. It is so painful. Please, rest assured that the government will do the needful in terms of immediate support. It is our prayer that such will not happen again.
“This fire incident is sad, because this market has been in existence for quite some time and our men and women have been plying their trades peacefully here.
“As the government, we have come to empathise and to assess the level of damage that has been done as a result of the inferno.
“We have come and seen and we have also met with market men and women. The fire was aggravated because of the kind of trade (plastic business). So, you can expect that it would spread like a wildfire. Nevertheless, we thank God Almighty that no life was lost.
“As a government, we will do the needful in terms of immediate support through the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (Oyo SEMA). We will also work with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) as well as public-spirited people to give immediate support to the victims of this incident.
“We will be waiting for a comprehensive report on the cause of the fire and the level of losses. This is a market that is central to commercial activities in Oyo State. People come all the way from Benin Republic, Ivory Coast and Niger Republic to trade here. So, the state government will do something.”
Reports state that goods worth millions of naira were razed in a late-night fire outbreak at the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The fire, which reportedly started around 9pm on Tuesday, gutted the Plastic Merchants area of the popular market and destroyed hundreds of shops and goods, disrupting livelihoods in the process.