Okowa, Soludo condole Obiano, victims over Onitsha inferno
Delta state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo have commiserated with Anambra state Governor, Willie Obiano and people of the state, particularly Onitsha residents over the tragic fire incident that gutted parts of the commercial city.
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A tanker laden with petroleum products on Wednesday reportedly spilled its contents on the road at Upper Iweka Road in Onitsha, leading to the inferno that resulted in the death of some people and destruction of many buildings, including business premises in the town.
Gov. Okowa through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, said that the images he saw of the fire incident were heartbreaking and extended his sympathy to people who suffered varying degrees of losses in the unfortunate incident.
He condemned the attitude of some residents who stoned fire fighters from Delta state who came to rescue the situation thereby preventing them from carrying out their lawful duty.
The governor called for concerted efforts towards proper and prompt management of disasters in the country.
“On behalf of the government and people of Delta state, I condole with my brother Governor, Willie Obiano, Anambra state and the people of Onitsha over the unfortunate fire incident that led to loss of lives and destruction of properties.
“The tragic images coming out of Onitsha of the raging fires are truly heartbreaking. As neighbours, Delta state will stand with our brothers and sisters in Anambra state at this difficult time as they recover from this terrible incident.
“The unfortunate incident of yesterday calls for concerted efforts towards proper and prompt disaster management. It is a clarion call on fire officers to be more proactive to responding to emergencies such as this to enable them save more lives and properties,” he said.
Also, former CBN Governor, Prof. Soludo expressed shock and sadness over the fire incident that claimed lives and property on Wednesday in Onitsha.
Prof. Soludo in a statement sympathised with the government of Anambra state and all those who lost their loved ones and property in the inferno, stressing that he shares their pains and agony.
He commended Gov. Willie Obiano for his prompt response, especially his directive that the victims report at Ekwueme Square for assistance.
Soludo assured that he will personally visit the site of the incident and the families of the victims and called on transporters to ensure the training and retraining of their drivers even as he urged the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to enhance the degree of enforcing standards in order to forestall future incidents.
