The Edo State Government has described as erroneous, insinuations that its response to the Uwelu Auto Spare Parts Market inferno was cliché, stating that the incident is receiving government’s attention.
In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said, “hours after Governor Godwin Obaseki visited the Auto Spare Parts Market in Uwelu, an 8-man panel of inquiry was inaugurated by the state government.”
He continued, “The panel which is headed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters (Edo South), Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha, has commenced work and has one week to turn in its report in line with the terms of reference it was given.”
Osagie explained that government’s approach is the standard practice with an emergency of such scale, stressing “We consider the inferno a major setback for the economy and an emergency that deserves the state government’s attention.
“It is not true that our response to such a massive fire incident that destroyed huge investments in a major sector of the auto industry is ‘a cliché’ as erroneously stated by Chris Nehikhare, Publicity Secretary of the Edo State Chapter of People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“Though, it is Governor’s Obaseki’s style to allow development to speak for itself, we, however, wish to inform Nehikhare that the state fire service is undergoing revamp just like several other sectors of the state.”
He added that plans to procure new trucks from Innoson Motors are at an advanced stage and the integrated revamp will correct the observed gaps in the response rate of the state fire service to emergencies.
“What Nehikhare failed to mention in his press statement is the fact that the PDP did not leave any foundation for the APC-led government to build on, with respect to managing emergencies like the Uwelu fire incident.
“Edo people and residents feel the impact of the Obaseki-led government where ever they live and it is not true that governance in the state is suffering.
Roads and other infrastructure are being built, enduring policies and programmes are being designed and executed across all sectors, to address the developmental challenges of our people on a daily basis,” he added.
