The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has donated ₦25 million to traders affected by the recent fire outbreak at Bode Market in Ibadan South-West Local Government Area.
Alli announced the donation on Friday during a sympathy visit to the market, where he met with traders and expressed condolences over the losses they suffered. He was received by the market’s Babaloja, Salau Oloya, and the Iyaloja, Sikira Alaja.
Addressing the victims, the senator said the donation reflected the APC’s commitment to supporting citizens during difficult times, stressing that leadership should be demonstrated through compassion and practical assistance rather than political rhetoric.
“Leadership must go beyond rhetoric and political campaigns. People-oriented governance requires prompt response, empathy and tangible support for citizens in moments of crisis. This ₦25 million donation is our way of showing commitment to the welfare of the affected traders,” Alli said.
He also pledged that the APC would continue to pursue responsible leadership and interventions aimed at improving the lives of Oyo residents.
The donation comes after the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Bimbo Adekanmbi, earlier provided ₦2.5 million in financial support to traders affected by the inferno.
In a separate gesture, the Oyo APC Women Leader, Adekemi Opatunde, donated ₦5 million and 15,000 face masks to support the victims and promote safety within the market. Traders, particularly women, praised the intervention, describing it as timely and encouraging.
The fire, which broke out in the early hours of the day, destroyed numerous shops and goods worth millions of naira, with the herbal products section of the market suffering the greatest damage.
An eyewitness, identified simply as Serifat, said the cause of the fire had yet to be determined.
“The blaze caused extensive damage, leaving many traders counting their losses. We still do not know what caused the fire,” she said.
Bode Market is one of Ibadan’s largest commercial centres, serving as a major trading hub for herbs, animal skins and other traditional products, attracting traders from across the South-West and other parts of Nigeria.
The incident has revived memories of a similar fire in September 2024, when more than 40 shops in the herbal section of Oranyan Market in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area were destroyed, causing multimillion-naira losses despite no fatalities.
Victims of the 2024 incident, including market youth leader Fatimoh Adebimpe, had said the cause of that fire also remained unknown. Adebimpe recalled that traders had already closed for the day before receiving calls around 10 p.m. informing them that the market was engulfed in flames.
