Benue State Government has donated N50 million to victims of Otukpo Market inferno to cushion the effect the disaster has had on their businesses.
Governor Samuel Ortom announced this on Thursday during an on-the-spot assessment visit, where he also urged the traders to support the State Government’s decision to restructure the market.
He added that he would set up a special committee of selected members of his cabinet and the traders’ unions that would liaise with Otukpo local government council chairman to work out the modalities for the release and disbursement of the funds.
It was confirmed that about 315 shops were destroyed during the inferno with property worth billions of naira now in ashes.
Investigators have still not been able to trace the cause of the fire, but have made it clear that the market is too congested.
Governor Ortom is planning to address this by restructuring and expanding the market
The committee created is also expected to ensure that a repetition of fire out break such as this is prevented or tamed as early as possible
