The Oyo State Government has begun distributing relief materials to traders affected by recent fire outbreaks in the state.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Toyin Balogun, made this announcement during the launch of a N20 million livelihood support grant for victims of market fire outbreaks on Tuesday.
Arogidigba Global Journal reports that no fewer than five markets have experienced fire incidents in the last two months.
Some of the markets affected include Sango Market, Agodi Gate Spare Parts Market, Gbaremu Market, and Olodo Market.
Speaking on Tuesday, Balogun noted that the beneficiaries of the grants were drawn from Gbaremu, Sango, Oke-Itunu, and Oranyan markets.
According to her: “Basically, this event is just another dimension of the usual way the Oyo State Government shows concern for the welfare of the residents of the state.
“You are all aware that a couple of months back, there was a spate of fire incidents across the length and breadth of the state. We observed through our findings that it was not only the direct victims who were affected economically; each of the victims has a minimum of 10 to 20 dependents that they are responsible for.
“We want them to return to their level of self-sufficiency and to enable them to care for others depending on them for support. As a result of this, our governor put aside other priorities, gave this expedited approval, and allocated a reasonable amount to all the victims of the fire outbreaks. This is just the first phase of the intervention.
“We are not just trying to get them back on their feet but also ensuring that these incidents are prevented. One of the ways we are doing this is by organising training sessions for women in the state on how to mitigate and prevent fire outbreaks in our markets.”