PCC COMMISSIONER, RIVERS STATE, VISITS BURNT FRUIT GARDEN MARKET AND FLOODED COMMUNITIES IN RIVERS STATE

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▪Sympathises with victims and calls on the State Government to Intervene Swiftly.

The vibrant and result-oriented Federal Commissioner of the Public Complaints Commission, Rivers State, Hon. Marshall Israel and his team visited the site of the burnt D-Line Fruit Market which occurred on Thursday, September 28, 2018, to inspect the extent of damage, sympathize with victims and urge the State Government and other relevant agencies to intervene swiftly by providing the much needed relief to the victims of the sad incident.

Hon. Israel expressed shock over the incident and deeply sympathized with those affected by the inferno. He described the incident as a sad occurrence and pleaded with the people to take heart while assuring them that he will do everything within the powers of his office to ensure swift intervention from the government and other relevant organisations.

"Indeed, I am gravely worried and pained at the sight of this incident, it seriously calls for concern. The fruit market has been a centre of major commercial activities for members of the public over the years, this sad incident is a huge loss and I would hope that the State government and other relevant authorities will come in fleetly and bring succour to those who are affected.

"I want to urge the government to place this at the centre of it's activities and see to it that adequate measures are put in place to address the cause of the fire outbreak. It is equally important for the State Government to make conscious and sincere efforts geared towards revitalizing its emergency response agencies like the Fire Service for swifter response and possible prevention of huge damages during occurrences such as this."

The Federal Commissioner, Hon. Isreal, who also extended his visit to the various communities sacked by flood in Ahoada and Obio/Akpor areas of the State sympathized with the victims of the flood and lamented the snailish pace of response from the State Government.

"I am saddened by these floodings and the fact that it has subjected poor members of the public into untold hardships. Incidents like these occur everywhere in the world but what makes the difference is the level of response and intervention from the government. I think the State government has not really been at it's best as far as the issue of flooding is concerned in Rivers State. I therefore, call on the State government to double it's efforts towards bringing relief to the victims and curbing the menace of flooding in the State.

"In days to come, we will see how we can liaise with cooperate bodies and NGOs to ensure that members of the public get the needed response and Intervention from government and other relevant organisations  when in distress. Members of the public have a right to receive prompt intervention from the government during outbreaks of natural disasters as this. We will do well to provide the needed awareness and sensitization in this regard," he said.