Edo Govt, PDP Trade Blames Over Uwelu Spare Parts Market Fire

By Emmanuel Aziken

The Edo State Government and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the state were Friday engaged in a blame game over the market inferno that consumed billions in the Uwelu Auto Spare Parts Market in Benin City.

The PDP had on Friday faulted the response of the state government describing inferno was cliché.

“Edo state government led by governor Obaseki was very quick to visit the fire ravaged Uwelu spare parts market and as usual set up a committee to determine the cause of the fire. This clichè is the bane of the APC led government. Misplaced Priorities!,” the State Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare had said.

“In its almost 12 years in the saddle, the APC led government has failed miserably to address the state of roads and other facilities and infrastructure in Uwelu Spare parts market but has found it convenient to visit and make promises whenever a tragedy strikes.”

In a swift response, the state government through Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Crusoe Osagie accused the PDP of not laying the proper foundation for the APC administrations to build upon.

“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,” Osagie submitted.

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.

“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,” Osagie submitted.

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