Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has blamed the owner of a fuel tanker involved in the incident that triggered a fire at Oluku Market for failing to observe necessary safety precautions, while promising to rebuild the market and assist affected traders.
The governor spoke on Friday, October 16, during a visit to the market along the Benin-Lagos Road in Ovia North-East Local Government Area, where shops and goods were destroyed by the fire.
Okpebholo expressed sadness over the incident and assured traders who lost their means of livelihood that his administration would support them.
He criticised the tanker owner for bringing another tanker to evacuate fuel from the affected vehicle without adequate safety measures, saying the action could have been avoided.
“The owner of the affected tanker also brought another tanker to evacuate the fuel, which is very wrong. If this had not happened, there would not have been any fire incident.
“This is the result of it. We are sorry; it is not our making. We pray God keeps us alive,” he said.
The governor also condemned the practice of scooping fuel from accident scenes, warning that such actions expose people to avoidable danger.
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“We are sorry. We, as human beings, should also take precautions whenever something like this happens. Before the explosion, people were scooping fuel.
“But the state and federal governments have spent a lot of money on advertisements to educate the public to stay away from such disasters, but people won’t listen,” he said.
Okpebholo disclosed that the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, had expressed sympathy over the incident and the loss of lives.
“I spoke to the First Lady this morning, and she expressed her sadness over what happened yesterday,” he said.
As part of his visit, the governor inspected victims receiving treatment at the burns and plastic ward of the Accident and Emergency Department of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).
He also spoke with some of their parents, urging residents to heed safety warnings around fuel-related accidents.
Okpebholo reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to rebuilding the market and helping traders recover their businesses.