By Adedotun Ajayi.
Overwhelmed with intense sorrow, an hair stylist, Pule Odunayo who is also a single mother of two has lost her only means of survival in a fire outbreak over the weekend, as fire gutted her hair dressing salon destroying property worth millions.
Speaking with The Hope, Pule could hardly put herself together to explain her ordeal.
Her words: “I am a single mother of two, the only thing I depend on is my shop. Out of the profit i make, I sponsor my kids’ education and take care of our feeding. Right now that I have lost my shop, I am finished and have nothing more to rely on. At this point, I’m confused on the next step to take.”
She narrated that she borrowed money to start the business initially and she has not even paid back the whole debt.
She lamented that how to pay back the debt completely leaves her at a loss.
She pleaded “I am begging the state government to come to my aid, if not for anything but for the sake of my children’s future, I want them to finish school and have a bright future,” she reacted.
Recall that property worth millions of Naira were razed by an early morning fire outbreak that occurred around Oluwatuyi area of Akure on Friday night.
According to reports, the owner of one of the shops had swooned in shock when he beheld the remains of his means of livelihood which had been razed by fire.
Impeccable sources said that he has since been hospitalized due to the shock. It was gathered that the inferno which started from a utility pole right in front of a shop attached to a residential building at about 1am destroyed the entire shop and part of the main building. No life was lost in the incident.
A victim of the inferno, Mr. Opeyemi Lawal, a fashion designer, said he was on the verge of losing his mind after realising how much he had lost to the fire.
“What we personally lost is over N2million worth of tailoring equipment. We lost ten major sewing machines, four designer machines and one whipping machine.
“I also lost some other smaller sewing machines and a generator. I don’t know what to do right now. I don’t know how I can take care of myself and my family with this situation because it is beyond me.”
“I am begging the government to help me because what rings in my head now is to hang myself because I can’t bear this,” Opeyemi told The Hope.
An eye witness, Femi Ajayi, who lives in the area said the fire outbreak was caused by high voltage from the utility pole right in front of the spot where the inferno happened.
“It was around 12a.m , when we heard a loud spark from the utility pole, and then the fire started, making its way to the roof of the two shops in front of the house., It burned profusely and woke everybody in the community.
“Then we tried our best to quench the fire but the manpower was not enough and the two wells we were fetching water from had dried up already.
“At that hour, we called the Ondo State Fire Services, to our greatest surprise, they said they have no fuel for them to come to our rescue. It was so pathetic but the Federal Fire Services eventually came later and quenched the fire, ” he said.
Another victim, Saki Omosebi, an occupant of the burnt apartment, said she managed to escape with her three children when the fire started.
“I was asleep when the fire started, due to the smoke, my children started coughing, that was when I woke up and saw the fire outside, then we raised the alarm. With the speed of light, i jumped from my bed, woke up my kids and dragged them out of the house, narrowly escaping being consumed in the fast-approaching fire.
Nothing, in terms of property could be saved from our apartment, It was like a nightmare and we still can’t recover from it,” she reacted.
Ebunoluwa Balogun, a worker in the burnt tailor’s shop said: “When the ASUU strike started, I came home and was idle, then I decided to learn fashion design. I am at the verge of gaining knowledge on my craft when the fire burnt down the shop. Right now, I don’t know where to start, it is such a pity and I condole my boss on his loss. All we want is for the government to come to our rescue.” he lamented.
Another worker in one of the shops, Ajewole Lawrence, said: “As a Nigeria youth who is trying as hard as possible not to involve myself in illegal activities, I decided to learn a craft so that I can be a better person for my family and to this nation. Right now, my dream of becoming one of the finest fashion designers in the country is growing faint, because I don’t know where to start.
“He has lost a lot and the only thing I can do now is stand by him during this trying time. We beg the government to come to our aid. Apart from the numerous industrial machines that we lost, we also lost some customers’ clothes and most of them want to use their Aso ebi for parties this weekend. We hope our customers understand and bear with us at this time,” he said
