- * Say She Would Have Arrived Ibadan Within 24 Hours With Aid Support For Them
- Affected Youths, Women Urge Tinubu To Recall Her As Minister
By Chinwendu Agoha (Governance Reporter) and Dayo Ajayi (Oyo State Correspondent, in Ibadan)
Victims of the last Tuesday night's devastating explosion in Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo state, which led to significant destruction of properties and loss of lives, are lamenting the current suspension of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, saying that she would have arrived Ibadan within 24 hours of the blast to console them with humanitarian aid support were she to be in office.
The victims, mostly women, who are in deep agonizing state and who who are calling for urgent humanitarian assistance, were full of kind words for the suspended youthful female minister for what they described as her proactive disposition to managing humanitarian cases such as the Ibadan explosion.
The victims, mostly affected residents, comprising youths and women, many of whom lost their small businesses to the blast, are appealing to President Bola Tinubu to immediately recall the Minister, Dr. Betta Edu, to her position. They believe that if she were still in office, she would have visited them within 24 hours to offer sympathy and relief on behalf of the government.
Among them is Mrs. Modinat Ojulari, whose kiosk and grinding machine were destroyed. She expressed her distress over her loss and the need for government assistance. Ojulari mentioned that she received the grinding machine from Dr. Betta Edu, then the APC National Women Leader, during the pre-presidential campaign in Ibadan. She appealed to President Tinubu to reconsider Edu's suspension, especially for the sake of the underprivileged and impoverished Nigerians.
Kafayat Alabelewe from Agodi shared, "Although I have never met Dr. Edu, the woman President Tinubu suspended, I’ve heard about her efforts to aid the poor and those affected by tragedies like this explosion. I believe she would have been here promptly to comfort us and distribute relief materials.
"I’ve lost everything I depend on for my livelihood. I implore President Tinubu to bring Dr. Edu back so she can assist us," said Mrs. Alabelewe, an unemployed NCE holder, amidst tears.
Waisu Ogunmola, a 26-year-old whose carpentry workshop was also destroyed, lamented the loss of his clients' completed work and his tools.
"My future looks bleak. Who will come to my aid? We need the federal government's support; we urge President Tinubu to swiftly pardon the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, reinstate her, and dispatch her to help us. She has helped others before; we hope our situation will not be an exception," pleaded Ogunlesi, who holds an Ordinary National Diploma, OND. NNL.
