Some victims of the recent fire disaster in the Apata area of Ibadan, Oyo State, have appealed to Gov. Seyi Makinde to investigate the disbursement of the N10 million palliative he donated to them.
The fire occurred on Dec. 15, at Apata in Ibadan after an articulated vehicle laden with petroleum rammed into a block of shops and burst into flames, leaving several properties razed.
The governor donated N10 million as a palliative to the victims during his on-the-spot assessment of the damages done by the fire.
The victims, however, stormed the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Press Centre in Ibadan, on Thursday to register their protest.
The victims carried placards with various inscriptions. They appealed to the governor to investigate the disbursement and retrieve the victims’ money from imposters.
Mrs. Adunni Olasunkanmi, a victim, said that they were left out or given an insignificant share of the palliative.
Olasunkanmi, a bread, and essential goods seller said that 45 victims were initially listed as beneficiaries, but grew to more than 70 later after the money was released.
She claimed that the beneficiaries’ list was later doctored to accommodate those who were not affected, while those who claimed to be their representatives apportioned huge sums to themselves.
“In fact, I don’t know the new beneficiaries. The house I lived in and the store where my goods were kept were burnt. I was only lucky to escape with my four children.
“Initially, a sum of N500,000 was penciled in as the amount I was to collect, but I was only given N100,000.
“Someone I know, who did not lose anything to the fire, because she was not among the traders affected, got N300,000.
“Someone who claimed to be a shoemaker got N200,000. I lost over N12 million worth of property to the fire,” Olasunkanmi said.
Another aggrieved beneficiary, Temilade Makinde, popularly known as Iya Dada, whose store was burnt, said she was promised N500,000, but got only N60,000.
“A day before the fire incident, I stocked my shop with N1.3 million worth of foodstuff, but everything is gone, including the building housing the store.
“In the list, N500,000 was estimated as compensation for me, but after the list was doctored, I was given N60,000.
“We appeal to the governor to investigate the disbursement of the money and retrieve the money from imposters,” Makinde said.
