Following the fire incident on Wednesday April 15, 2020, at Dugbe Alawo, Ibadan, which destroyed over 20 shops and property worth several millions of naira, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has promised to launch an emergency fund to address disasters and emergencies.
Makinde made this promise when he visited the scene of the fire incident on Thursday April 16, 2020, promising to get to the roots of the incident.
The governor, who described the incident as unfortunate and heartbreaking, maintained that the state would find means, despite the challenges occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, to give palliatives to those that were affected by the inferno.
He, however, stated that there was the need for the state to have a Disaster Management Endowment Fund that would address such unforeseen contingencies.
He said: “I commiserate with the people that are affected. At such a time like this, this is the least of the things that we expect because we are still battling with COVID-19 and its social and economic impacts. So, we believe there is a need for the state to have an endowment fund for disasters. If such an endowment exists, right now, we would have given an immediate palliative to the people concerned. Meanwhile, we will try our best to see what we can do within the challenges we are facing”.
The governor said that at a time the state is still fighting to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, such an unfortunate occurrence like the Dugbe fire disaster was surely going to overstretch the state government.
He also admonished shop owners and residents of the state to always apply precautions and safety measures within their environments so as to avert unforeseen circumstances.
