Governor Seyi Makinde, Oyo State
The Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has vowed to restructure Alesinloye Market in Ibadan to prevent a recurrence of the fire that destroyed goods worth millions of naira in March.
The governor said this during an on-the-spot assessment of the market on Tuesday. The governor expressed sadness that despite having a fire station on-site, it failed to contain the blaze. He assured that the government would redesign the market to include a functional fire safety system.
Makinde also directed the suspension of a planned demolition of a section of the market until a suitable alternative is arranged for traders.
“There are two key issues here. First, we must reorganize the market. A fire station is located right where the fire broke out, yet it could not stop the fire. We must ensure the station is fully operational,” he said.
“Second, the local government had planned to demolish a section of the market. I have instructed the chairman not to proceed until a proper alternative is provided for the traders. We will work together over the next few days to ease the impact of the fire on them.”
Makinde said the state government had provided palliatives as an immediate cushion for the affected traders.
“We have provided some palliatives for them, and I told them too that we have to work together to ensure that this kind of thing does not happen again”, he said.
The governor emphasized the importance of fire prevention, urging traders to handle flammable materials with caution.
“We must raise awareness. Preventing fires is better than controlling them. Traders should store combustible goods with the utmost care to avoid disasters like this,” he added.
