Ibadan Tanker Fire Victims Protest, Demand Gov Makinde’s Probe  Of N10m Relief Fund

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 *allege they were shortchanged by impostors

By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan

It was protest galore on Thursday, as victims of  last week’s tanker fire incident in Apata area of Ibadan asked Governor Seyi Makinde to probe the disbursement of the N10 million relief fund he gave them.

The victims stormed the Oyo State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre at Iyaganku in Ibadan in  large numbers, to protest what they called  shortchanging in the disbursement  of the N10 million fund.

Speaking during the protest, the victims emphasized the need for Governor  Makinde to investigate the disbursement of the money and retrieve victims’ money from those they referred to as imposters.

According to the protesters carrying placards with various, inscriptions, they were criminally sidelined or given insignificant share of the N10 million fund meant to cushion their loss, saying 45 beneficiaries were listed as beneficiaries after the money was given in cash but the list increased  to more than 70 later and that four persons, Ashifat Abdullahi, Aminat Bamidele, Abiodun Tejuoso and Olayiwola were chosen to represent the victims.

The protesters alleged that the beneficiaries’ list was later doctored to accommodate those that were not affected and that while the four representatives apportioned to themselves huge sums.

One of the protesters, Olasunkanmi Adunni, a bread and essential goods seller affected by the fire, said  ” there were 45 names in the list but unfortunately, that list increased with those who were not affected included. In fact, we don’t know the new beneficiaries”.

” The house I lived in and the store my goods was burnt and I was only lucky to escape with my four children. Initially, the sum of N500,000 was penciled as the amount I was to collect but I was only given N100,000. Aminat Bamidele, 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″, she said

Aduni added, ” I lost over N12m worth of property to the fire. Bamidele was said to have claimed that there is nothing we can do as she has several influential people as in the list of her boyfriends.”

Another protester Temilade Makinde stressed that she was promised N500,000 but got N60,000, adding,   “a  day before the fire incident, I stocked the store with N1.3million  worth of food stuffs 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 victims’ money from imposters.”

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