The Oyo State Government has handed over 88 reconstructed shops to traders affected by a fire outbreak at Alesinloye Market in Ibadan, fulfilling its promise to restore their businesses and livelihoods.
The Executive Chairman of Ibadan South-West Local Government, Kehinde Akande, presented the shops to the beneficiaries on behalf of Governor Seyi Makinde.
The reconstructed shops are located in the market’s plastic and rubber section, where the fire destroyed several shops and goods worth millions of naira.
Akande said the exercise fulfilled a commitment made by Makinde during his visit to the market after the incident, when he promised that the affected shops would be rebuilt and returned to their owners free of charge.
“If we can all recall, a few months ago there was a fire outbreak at Alesinloye Market. We came here to sympathise with the victims and assure them that the government would reconstruct the affected section of the market.
“Our governor, as we all know, is a man of the people. Whenever anything happens in the state, he is always present. He promised that the shops would be rebuilt and handed back to the victims free of charge, and that is what we are doing today,” he said.
In a statement issued by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, Akande described the handover as a significant milestone for the market community.
He said the reconstructed section had been better organised, with improved access roads to make the shops safer and easier to navigate.
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Akande also announced measures to prevent a recurrence of the incident, including plans to rebuild the market’s fire station and permanently deploy local government safety officers to monitor compliance with safety regulations.
He added that the state government had earlier paid each affected trader N250,000 as immediate relief to cushion the impact of the losses.
“When the incident happened, both state and local government officials visited the market to sympathise with the traders. After the Deputy Governor’s visit, the Governor himself came here and immediately approved the payment of N250,000 to each affected trader to help alleviate their losses,” he said.
A former member of the House of Representatives, Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, described the handover as evidence of Makinde’s commitment to fulfilling his promises.
He urged the beneficiaries to maintain the facilities and use them responsibly, noting that the 88 reconstructed shops corresponded with the number of traders on the verified list compiled after the fire outbreak.
Speaking on behalf of the traders, Taiwo Sekinat Bisola, who represented the Babaloja of Alesinloye Market, thanked the state government for the intervention.
She described the handover as a major relief that had restored the affected traders’ means of livelihood and urged the beneficiaries to maintain the shops and observe safety measures.
The fire broke out in the early hours of March 11, 2026, in the plastic and rubber section of Alesinloye Market, destroying shops and goods worth millions of naira.
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