Edo, APC Trade Words over Benin Fire Incident

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Edo State Government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, yesterday, traded blamed over a fire incident that occurred late on Tuesday’s night in Benin metropolitan police.

While Edo Government said that the APC is complicit in the fire incidents that took place annually, the state APC knocked the Godwin Obaseki-led administration of what it termed regular December fire incidents at major markets in the state.

Late Tuesday night, some shops along the popular Lagos Street, adjoining the Oba Market went into flames with goods worth hundreds of million destroyed.

In a press briefing, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Mr. Chris Nekhihare, said that state government has confirmed its strong suspicion that “the opposite party is responsible or at least complicit in the Lagos Street fire incident of Tuesday and other similar fire incidents that have happened in the eve or during electioneering campaigns seasoning the past four year.”

According to Nekhihare, “the coincidence of the timing of these unwarranted fires is cause for concern. Edo State government strongly believed that the opposite party must be involved.

Calling on relevant security agencies to invite those he alleged have a hand in the fire incidents to assist with investigation, he said that prior to the 2020 governorship election, the Eki Osa, Santana and Oba Markets were set on fire.

“In fact traders in Ekiosa Market said then that the fire was the handiwork of mischief makers, at a time the opposition was aggressively looking for ways to blackmail Governor Godwin Obaseki and dent his high popularity ratings weeks before the election.

“It would interest you to know that since after the last gubernatorial election in Edo State, there hasn’t been any market fire.

“Now that elections are coming again, the opposition has resorted to one of its devilish and inhuman tactics and has started with the Lagos Street fire incident.

“Burning down markets is not a way to resurrect a dead political party that has manufactured unprecedented levels of poverty for Nigerians”, Nekhihare declared.

He also noted: ‘We want to warn them and their collaborators to desist from this life of crime. Arson is a crime punishable by jail time. Both sponsors and perpetrators are equally liable.

“We advise the youths not to allow themselves to be used to sabotage our mothers and fathers in the markets and in the larger society.

“The relevant agencies of government have commenced investigations into the Lagos Street fire incident and no stones will be left unturned in the process because enough is enough.

“Leadership of the opposition party are persons of interest and should be invite to help with the investigation of not just this fire but all previous market fires on the eve of elections in Edo State.

But in a statement yesterday, the Edo State Chapter of the APC,   criticised Governor Godwin Obaseki and his PDP-led government over an alleged failure to find a lasting solution to regular fire incidents, which ravaged major markets in Benin City, particularly at the end of the year.

The statement was signed by the Edo Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. John Mayaki.

According to him, “every December, innocent women and traders in Edo State are made to suffer the terrible tragedy of seeing their life investments, and possibly sole means of economic survival, destroyed by fire outbreaks enabled by the negligence and irresponsibility of the state government.

“What is most troubling is that these incidents have followed the same pattern within the life of the Obaseki-administration, with no serious or proactive response from the government despite the heavy toll on the well-being of ordinary citizens, including market women who form the lifeblood of Edo State’s commerce.”

He questioned why the present administration in the state is ever so eager to exact high taxes on the citizens without providing the requisite public services expected of any government to the people.

He said: “It appears this administration, in keeping with its party approach of milking people and state without any tangible investment in public services and infrastructure, is only interested in raising and withdrawing taxes, without doing anything to help the people.”