Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has announced plans to restructure Alesinloye Market in Ibadan to prevent a recurrence of the devastating fire incident that destroyed goods worth millions of naira in March.
During an on-site inspection of the market on Tuesday, Makinde expressed his disappointment that despite the presence of a fire station within the market, it was unable to contain the blaze. He assured traders that the government would implement proper architectural planning to mitigate future fire outbreaks.
A statement released by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, and made available to journalists in Ibadan confirmed the governor’s commitment.
Makinde also revealed that the state government has provided relief measures for affected traders and will collaborate with the Ibadan South-West Local Government and the Ibadan South LCDA to further alleviate their losses.
Additionally, the governor ordered the suspension of a planned demolition in a section of the market until an appropriate alternative is provided for the traders.
“There are two critical issues to address. First, we need to properly organize the market. There is a fire station within the premises, yet it was ineffective during the fire outbreak. We must ensure the station is fully functional.
“Second, there is an area scheduled for demolition by the local government. I have instructed the chairman to halt the demolition until we secure an alternative space for the affected traders.
“We will be working together over the next few days to cushion the impact of the fire incident on those affected. We have already provided some palliatives and will continue working closely to prevent such occurrences in the future,” Makinde said.
The governor further stressed the importance of fire prevention, urging traders to take necessary precautions, especially when storing flammable materials. He emphasized that prevention is always better than emergency response and called for increased awareness to avert future fire disasters.
