. Governor Ododo Visits, Assures of Government Support
The Kogi State House of Assembly on Thursday urged the State Government to support marketers at the Lokoja GSM village who incurred losses as a result of the fire outbreak that destroyed goods worth millions of naira.
The Assembly resolved following a motion moved as an urgent matter of public importance by the lawmaker representing Lokoja I, Bin-Ebaiya Tijjani, and read on the floor of the House by the Majority Leader, Suleiman Abdulrazak.
The lawmaker explained that the GSM Village is akin to Information Communication Technology parks, where activities concerning Information and Communication Technology thrive, and where private individuals invest in electronic equipment and creative services for the repair and maintenance of ICT facilities.
According to the lawmaker, “The Speaker, distinguished honourable colleagues, it is with deep sorrow that I rise to announce a tragedy that occurred in the early hours of today—a fire outbreak that has destroyed the GSM village situated directly opposite the JAIZ Bank here in Lokoja.
“So much has been invested by young men and women in developing the area and bolstering information and technological knowledge. Today, all that has been destroyed by fire. I, therefore, wish to move that the honourable House resolves to urge the State Government to intervene and mitigate the losses incurred due to the fire outbreak.”
Seconding the motion, the member representing Ogori Magongo State Constituency, Bode Ogunmola, described the incident as painful, stating, “It is regrettable that our young people, who are struggling to survive, lost their investments today in Lokoja. I recall that the previous administration purchased fire-fighting vehicles. What happened that the fire could not be contained quickly?”
Ogunmola, in an amended prayer, called for a thorough investigation of the fire incident to prevent future occurrences.
While sympathising with the shop owners for the loss of their goods, the lawmaker representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, Abu Onoru-Oiza Jibrin, in an additional prayer, urged the State Emergency Management Agency to carry out an on-the-spot assessment and recommend immediate palliatives to the government to mitigate the effects of the fire on those whose goods were destroyed.
The Speaker, Aliyu Yusuf, directed the Clerk to convey the resolutions of the House to the Executive.
Ododo Visits
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has said that the state government would support rebuilding of the GSM village to enable victims of the fire disaster have their sources of livelihood restored.
Governor Ododo gave the assurance when he visited the scene of the fire incident for on the spot assessment of the level of damage caused by the fire outbreak.
The Governor who sympathized with the victims of the fire outbreak, described the extent of damage as a worrisome development and promised to ensure that owners of businesses and other victims at the fire outbreak at the GSM village are supported to bounce back from the setback that has affected their means of livelihood.
He noted that the GSM village had provided a dependable and legitimate source of living for several youths and women in the state, adding that it has impacted the state’s economy positively.
Governor Ododo assured the market operators of immediate relief measures, assuring that plans for rebuilding and recovery of affected property as a result of the fire disaster would soon commence.
Traders and residents in the area expressed appreciation to the Governor for the visit and solidarity as they noted that their determination to rebuild and come back stronger as a business community has been rekindled by the visit of the Governor.
