The Chairman of the Board of the Niger Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Chiedu Ebie, has sympathised with victims of the fire incident that razed a block of shops and destroyed commodities worth millions of naira on Tuesday, January 16, 2024, along the old Lagos/Asaba Road in Agbor, Delta State.
In a statement dated Wednesday, January 17, 2024, Mr Ebie noted that the colossal damage arising from the inferno has no doubt exacerbated the economic hardship of the victims.
He, however, expressed gratitude to God, saying that no life was lost as a result of the inferno.
“I am particularly saddened by this occurrence. The damage arising from this ugly development has no doubt worsened the economic hardship of the victims. This is not the best way to begin the year. I am, however, grateful to God that no life was lost,” he said.
Speaking further, Mr Ebie, a former Secretary to the State Government in Delta State, called on Agbor residents to be more cautious and informed.
He advised them to desist from any act that would endanger the lives of others or put their businesses in unfavourable or difficult positions.
While he assured the affected of his constant affection and prayed for God’s divine provision to mitigate their losses, the Agbor Alidimna-born lawyer, on the other hand, called on the leadership of Ika South Local Government as well as the state government to take both coordinated and sustainable steps geared towards preventing the reoccurrence of such painful incidents in the state.
He stressed that the message the unfortunate incident passed was that more work needed to be done to secure the environment.
“It is our shared responsibility to get this done. It is a call for renewed vision and commitment,” he further stated in the statement.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale