The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, stated that his government plans to revamp the Alesinloye Market in Ibadan with the aim of preventing another occurrence similar to the fire outbreak in March which obliterated merchandise valued at several million Nigerian Naira.
The governor mentioned that the state administration had supplied certain relief measures to act as a temporary support for those affected by the fire incident.
On Tuesday, during his visit to inspect the market, the governor made these remarks, expressing regret over the fact that even with a nearby fire station, they were unable to control the blaze.
He maintained that the government would work on the market to put in place a proper architecture that could avert future fire incidents.
The governor’s remarks were included in an announcement released on Tuesday by his Special Adviser for Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, and provided to journalists.
Makinde also directed that the scheduled demolition of part of the market be suspended until an appropriate alternate solution was offered to the merchants.
He mentioned that over the coming days, the government along with the Ibadan South-West Local Government and the Ibadan South Local Council Development Area will focus on alleviating the impact of the fires on the traders.
There are two issues here. First, we need to organize the marketplace effectively since the location of the outbreak had a fire station, yet they were unable to contain the fire.
“So, we have to ensure that we do whatever is necessary to make sure the fire station is functional.
Secondly, there is a location set for demolition by the local authorities, but I’ve informed the chairperson that it shouldn’t be torn down unless an alternate solution is offered to the residents.
“We will collaborate over the coming days to mitigate the effects of the fire on those affected,” he stated.
He urged the public to be cautious and strive to prevent fires across the state.
We must educate the public. It’s preferable to prevent anything that could cause a fire rather than trying to control it.
“Therefore, the emphasis should be on storing items carefully, particularly those that could potentially catch fire,” he noted.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
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