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Mayor of Yenagoa Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, Hon. Nimizuoa Uroupaye, says the council has ordered investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the inferno that wreaked havoc on the Biogbolo community furniture market in Yenagoa, the state capital penultimate Sunday.
Uroupaye stated this while speaking with journalists following his meeting with victims of the fire incident and the state Unified Council of Non-indigenes in Yenagoa.
He noted that the he has since directed the appropriate security agencies within the council area to commence findings and report same to his office for appropriate action.
The mayor reiterated commitment towards ensuring the security of life and properties within the local government area, reassuring that as the chief security officer of the council, he was under oath to protect life and properties of not only indigenes of the area but that of everybody living and doing business in the council area, as he condemned the actions of those involved in the dastardly act.
“I’ve directed the O/C DSS of the LGA and other security operatives to investigate the cause of the fire disaster and report same to me for necessary action”, he said.
“This is my first official meeting with the victims of the fire disaster after the unfortunate incident. But we will meet again before the week rounds off and then I will issue a communiqué”, he noted.
“I took an oath to secure lives and properties of everybody living or doing business in Yenagoa council area. Nobody in this council area should be afraid.
“The non-indigenes as business men are integral component of the state internally generated revenue. l have assured them that the state governor will be briefed on this matter for necessary actions,” he said.
Also speaking, chairman of the Unified non-indigenes association and South-South zonal chairman of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Chinedu Arthur Ugwa, said following the timely intervention by the council boss and the leadership of the Unified non-indigenes, as well as using his position as the Ohanaeze Ndigbo South-South zone, normalcy has since returned to the place that was blocked by a group of protesters whose goods were affected.
Ugwa commended the chairman for his intervention, saying peace is golden, just as he pleaded that those affected be put back to doing their legitimate business so to enable them earn a living.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Biogbolo furniture dealers association, Mr Obinna Agha, has denied rumours making the rounds that his colleagues’ mistake caused the inferno, noting that a few days to the disaster an undisclosed number of persons from Biogbolo came threatening to raze the market if they failed to pay the community youths ‘matching ground.’
“We are calling on government to caution these youths who incessantly besiege our shops for unauthorised illegal fees without receipts.”
He alleged that after the threat on a particular Wednesday, the fire came on Sunday the following week, as he called on government to carry out proper investigation and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.
He said as law abiding citizens they have been engaged in their legitimate business and also pay taxes to the state revenue collection agents such as environmental sanitation authority, Yenagoa local government and the state board of internal revenue.
“We are therefore appealing to the state government to come to our aid, especially one of us who is currently hospitalised as a result of the loss of his goods,” he said.
