The Oyo State governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Bimbo Adekanmbi, has pledged to tackle recurring The post Adekanmbi pledges stronger measures to prevent market fires in Oyo appeared first on Tribune Online .
The Oyo State governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Bimbo Adekanmbi, has pledged to tackle recurring fire outbreaks in markets across the state through proactive prevention and improved safety measures.
Adekanmbi made the pledge against the backdrop of the recent fire outbreak at the popular Oranyan Market in Ibadan, which occurred only weeks after a major inferno at Bode Market destroyed several shops and businesses.
He said the frequency of market fires had become a serious concern requiring a comprehensive and sustainable approach to protecting traders, their businesses and livelihoods.
According to him, the government must move beyond responding to market disasters after they occur and focus more on preventing them through effective safety measures, proper planning and regular monitoring of markets.
Adekanmbi spoke while supporting traders affected by the Oranyan Market fire with building materials to facilitate the immediate reconstruction of shops destroyed by the inferno.
He said the intervention was borne out of empathy for the victims and his desire to help them return to business as quickly as possible.
“I feel the pain of the traders because I understand what it means to lose one’s means of livelihood to fire. As a son of a market woman, I know the sacrifices traders make to build their businesses,” he said.
The APM candidate said his background had given him a firsthand understanding of the importance of markets to families and the wider economy, noting that many traders depend entirely on their businesses for their livelihoods.
He assured the affected traders of his continued support, saying the immediate priority was to help them rebuild and restore their sources of income.
Adekanmbi further pledged that, if elected governor, his administration would prioritise preventive measures to reduce the occurrence and impact of market fires while strengthening the protection of traders’ investments and commercial activities across the state.
He said traders should not be left to repeatedly bear the consequences of disasters that could be prevented, stressing that the government had a responsibility to provide a safer and more resilient environment for businesses to thrive.
“We must ensure that prevention becomes a priority. Traders work hard to build their businesses, and government has a responsibility to protect the environment in which they operate,” Adekanmbi said.
