Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has reiterated support for victims of the fire incident at the popular Aleshinloye Market.
Governor Makinde, represented by his deputy, Chief Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal, stated this on Friday while commiserating with traders who lost properties to the fire outbreak which destroyed shops and goods at the popular market in Ibadan.
During an immediate assessment of the incident, he conveyed the government’s sympathies to the victims of the fire outbreak.
This is as the Oyo State Government has directed the victims to cooperate with the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (Oyo SEMA) for a complete enumeration and verification of the victims.
According to a release by Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Special Adviser (Media) to the Oyo State Governor, victims of Tuesday’s fire incident at Alesinloye Market, Ibadan, have clarified that about 90 people, not 500 as reported in a section of the media, were affected by the incident.
The Deputy Governor directed the Oyo SEMA to embark on a complete enumeration and verification of victims to get a credible figure, warning the victims to be wary of who they speak with and how they present facts not to confuse the system.
He reiterated that the state government would support the victims and stated that bulldozers had already been deployed to the site to clear the rubble and ensure the place was placed in order.
Barr. Lawal maintained that Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration is a listening government and will cooperate with the victims to make their lives comfortable.
He warned those playing politics with the tragic loss of Alesinloye traders to have a rethink, noting that it is unreasonable and unethical to play politics with disaster.
He said: “Once again, the Oyo State Government sympathises with you. I said three days ago: we are thankful that no life was lost. As a government, we commiserate with you.
“When something like this happens, people will begin to say many things, many of which will not be true. It is already happening. The Oyo State Government under Governor Seyi Makinde focuses on the wellbeing of the governed. The government exists to make life comfortable for everyone and not to cause hardship.
“I told you that this government is listening. If you bring any complaint to us, we will always look for a way to address it. So, what happened in Alesinloye is sad, but we will work with you to address it.
“If you see anyone saying rubbish about this incident, that person is unreasonable. No one prays for this kind of disaster. We cannot play politics with this kind of disaster. So, what some people have been saying in some quarters are not things that should have been told.
“The unofficial figure being bandied about out there is that 500 people were affected and the shops are over 700. But you have come here to say that the people affected are about 85. We cannot allow people to just throw untrue figures about. You know yourselves, so we will only rely on the figure from you, which our people verify.
“So, the Oyo SEMA will set up a place in the market; you will give them the list with you and the victims will go to the Oyo SEMA one by one to record their phone number, shop number, etc. With that one, the government will be able to target only victims of the fire incident.”
Responding to the victims’ plea that the market should not be demolished, the Deputy Governor maintained that the matter at hand is first about addressing the aftermath of the fire incident and that other issues will be addressed accordingly.
He noted that the government would communicate with the traders in the market on further developments.
Speaking earlier, leaders of the Plastic and Cooler Section of the Alesinloye Market countered the claim that 500 shop owners were affected by the fire outbreak.
The chairperson of the Plastic and Cooler Sellers Association in Alesinloye Market, Mrs Taiwo Lawal, who visited the Governor’s Office in the company of the immediate past chairperson of the association, Mrs Julianah Ayoola, and five others, said the victims appreciated the fact that the state government was concerned about their plight.
She said that the victims were calmed after the Deputy Governor’s visit. Still, they would like to plead with the government not to demolish Alesinloye and, if it intends to redevelop the market, to allow the traders to rebuild their shops.
While addressing newsmen shortly after the meeting, Mrs Lawal said: “We are here to plead with the governor not to demolish our market.
