The Babaloja of Bodija Market, Alhaji Ismail Aderemi, has appealed to the government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and philanthropists to assist traders whose shops were destroyed by a fire outbreak at the market.
The Bodija Market fire incident
Aderemi, who is also the President of the Oyo State Market Men and Women, made the appeal while expressing concern over the impact of the incident on the livelihoods of the affected traders.
The fire incident, which happened on Tuesday, reportedly affected 16 shops at the popular foodstuffs market in Ibadan, Oyo State, leaving the affected traders to face the trauma and challenge of rebuilding their businesses and recovering their losses.
Alhaji Aderemi called on well-meaning individuals, corporate organisations and relevant authorities to provide assistance to the victims to enable them to return to business.
The market leader also commended the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Bodija Market Police Division for her swift intervention in contacting the Oyo State Fire Service.
He notes that the swift response helped contain the spread of the fire and curtailed further damage to businesses.
He also appealed to the affected traders to remain calm and maintain peace, assuring them that the Ibadan North Local Government Area was taking steps to assist the shop owners.
The appeal came as the affected traders face the task of rebuilding their shops and restoring their sources of livelihood following the destruction caused by the fire.
Meanwhile, the cause of the fire incident and the estimated value of the property and goods destroyed was yet to be established as of the time of filing this report.
The incident has renewed the call for the need for effective fire prevention measures and emergency preparedness in markets to protect traders, goods and commercial property from similar disasters.
