Onitsha fire victims received relief materials from donors

Traders of Upper Iweka and Ochanja market in Onitsha, the commercial city of Anambra State, where tanker fire kills about four persons including a mother, child and destroy shops with goods worths millions on Wednesday last week have received relief materials from concerned groups and individuals.

Tribune Online gathered that some humanitarian groups visited the market donated relief materials to help traders who lost their means of livelihood survive, while they await the compensation promised them by the state and federal government respectively.

A plaza owner in the market, Mr Anthony Okonkwo told journalists that the minister for labour and employment, Dr Chris Ngige donated N1million to victims of the inferno.

He said, “One of the donors gave us N3,000. He came to the market and asked to see the victims, we were even suspecting that he is a beggar from the way he dressed. He expressed his sympathy and then donated N3,000 to us, which we used to buy the register we are now using to write names of concerned donors.”

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Founder of Johnbosco Onunkwo Foundation, Chief Johnbosco Onunkwo who visited victims both in the hospital and market also donated relief materials saying the magnitude of the damage was way beyond what he has read in National dailies.

“This donation is just to keep them for the time being because they have to feed and take care of themselves after losing everything in the incident. We have to help them survive until the state and federal governments assist them as they promised.

“I am at a loss with the level of destruction that I have witnessed here, I want to state that with what I have seen, the media stories and coverage did not report half of what happened here, this is an unmitigated disaster.

“I must, however, urge the State Government led by Governor Willie Obiano to be more proactive in such matters. The state government should begin to adapt to Health Safety Environment practices, this would have helped the situation,” Onunkwo stated.