• Urge FG, Oyo govt to expedite action on rebuilding market
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA), has distributed food items as relief packages to select 982 victims of the Shasha market mayhem.
Both the Baale of Shasha market, Akinade Ajani and the Seriki Shasha, Alhaji Haruna Katsina were on hand to receive the items handed over to them by the acting zonal coordinator of NEMA South West region, Mr Akiode Saheed, at the weekend.
Items distributed included 10kg of rice, beans, garri, 20kg of vegetable oil, sachets of tomato paste, seasoning and salt.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development and Disaster Management, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq had in March, flagged off the distribution of the palliatives to victims of Shasha mayhem during a visit to Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Akiode said: “We are here with Oyo State SEMA for the direct distribution of relief assistance as approved by Mr President, President Mohammadu Buhari upon the request of the Honourable Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouq, who has graciously approved these relief materials to be distributed to all affected victims of Shasha market which occurred on 12th February this year.
“The DG of NEMA has directed us to come and do the distribution to all 982 victims of the disaster here in collaboration with Oyo state SEMA and all relevant stakeholders.”
In their separate remarks, leaders of both Yoruba and Hausa communities the Baale of Shasha and Seriki Shasha, who spoke in their native languages, expressed gratitude to President Mohammadu Buhari for reaching out to them in what they described as their ‘trying time’.
They however urged both the federal and Oyo State government to expedite action on the market reconstruction especially with the rains approaching.
In his remarks, the Baale of Shasha, Akinade Ajani, who lauded President Buhari’s administration for the assistance.
He, however, solicited more support noting that the destruction of the market, as a result of the mayhem, greatly affected many families and people’s sources of livelihoods.
“We are very grateful to the President for this show of compassion by reaching out to us in our trying time and we are very grateful for that.
“Our prayers are that the President will continue to succeed in everything he does and his administration will continue to progress.
“We only want to appeal for more support because people’s sources of livelihoods have been destroyed following the crisis.
“Government should expedite actions on the market reconstruction so that things will not get worse. You all know that the rains are here already and if actions are not expedited on helping us reconstruct the market people’s wares and properties will be further destroyed by the rains,” Akinade said.
In his reaction, the Seriki Shasha, Alhaji Haruna Mai Yasin Katsina, thanked President Buhari, the Honourable Minister, NEMA and other relevant agency that facilitated the provisions of the relief materials.
“We thank the President, the Minister, NEMA, and OYSEMA and other agencies that are responsible for this, may God bless you abundantly because you have remembered us during our troubled time,” Haruna said.
Speaking on behalf of market operators, the Babaloja of Shasha market, Chief Rashidi Popoola, commended President Mohammadu Buhari for reaching out to the victims of the market crisis.
He noted that since peace and trading activities have returned traders and market operators have not been able to erect structures that will prevent the rain from destroying their wares.
The Babaloja, therefore, appealed to both the Federal and State Government to urgently expedite actions on the reconstruction of the market.
Rendering his own remarks, Executive Secretary, Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA) avowed that Governor Seyi Makinde led government had begun mobilising earth moving equipment to begin reconstruction of the market.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke with journalists during the palliatives distribution expressed gratitude to President Mohammadu Buhari for the provision of the food items which according to them will help cushion the economic effects imposed on them as a result of the February 12 Shasha market mayhem.
