Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state, Monday, gave the sum of N2million to Madam Joy Oviengbede Ifije, the widow whom the Governor carpeted last week for blocking the walkways along Mission Road with her goods.
Besides, the governor and his family gave scholarship Bright Ifije, the son of the widow in his education in order to help the family. The N2million was given to her to a rent a shop and set up a business so as to resist the temptation of selling along the walkways in future.
Oshiomhole and the family of the widow reconciled Monday during a breakfast meeting, where the governor reiterated his earlier apology to the woman following his outburst at her, which he confessed was as a result of anger from the way traders and drivers are frustrating the state government’s efforts to beautify Benin City.
Madam Ifije who knelt down to express her gratitude to the governor, said her actions on the said day was not intentional and pledged to join the state government in its campaign to ensure sanity and orderliness in the city.
While addressing Madam Ifije who was accompanied to Government House by her sister Patience Ajayi and the landlord, Mr Omobude Osakpanwa, Oshiomhole said he was sincerely sorry for the uncomplimentary words he used against the widow, adding that it was as a result of his passion to see that sanity returns in the city.
According to him, “my anger was that when I saw you blocking the road I said if your blocking the road do you want people to be killed and you said you are a widow and I said if you want other people to be killed. I am sure you know that we don’t want accidents on our roads and that was why we built the walk ways so that pedestrians will have their way and vehicles will have their way.
“Because we still find people abandon the markets to come and sale on the walkways blocking the road and you find out that the expansion that we have done, some time out of six lanes you find out that only two are functioning. They just block one of the roads, while buses will block another part of the road and there will be serious traffic.
“ I am doing my best to see that we make Benin City a beautiful city that it was before. You see, when you send a lot of money, government money to try and beautify the city, to build roads and all that, you find the roads are not working, I get very angry. The second issue is that when you put your goods on the roads, the buses can run into you or like those that sales tomatoes or pepper, those things can be contaminated because of the exposure which is not good.
“That was why I said to you if you are a widow do you want more people to be widows, but when I said go and die, I was really touched that I said that to you because I understand that looking at you, you are struggling but I was really angry but I realized that even at anger I can achieve the same result without talking to you the way that I did.
“Though I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart because even my own daughters they have been harassing me on your behalf. I was really angry that day because I was going round and I found out that a lot of things were wrong and it was a pity that that anger, that aggression was transferred to you and I hope you forgive me” he stated.
He further urged the widow to “assist me to talk to traders first to keep our roads clean, not to block on roads so that people walking, people walking can have the roads free. The state government will employ you to do this job for us and we will give you all the assistance you need”.
Read Full statement below...
“The Governor who announced the job offer to the woman, in addition to a N2 million grant for her to get a shop and trade, said during a breakfast meeting with her at the Government House, yesterday, that her job would be to join State’s War Against Indiscipline in the campaign against street trading and to keep the state clean.”
The Governor who again apologised to the widow said “when you put your things on the road a vehicle can run into you and they have killed some people like that and that was why I said if you are a widow do you want more people to be widowed? But when I said go and die, that one was said in a fit of anger. And I am really sorry”, he said.
“I want you to join us. We would employ you and pay you salary. You would help us to campaign to other women not to trade on road sides. We should not use poverty as a yardstick. We would also talk to taxi and bus drivers not to block roads when carrying passengers”, Oshiomhole said.
“You will assist me to talk to women and traders not to litter the roads and sidewalks so that people walking and driving can have free road. If they want to park they can park properly so as not to disturb others.”
The Governor said government was trying to change Benin City from its old status adding “as you can see Benin is becoming a modern city. So you join us now and every month you begin to get salary so that you can look after your children”.
“For your child who is preparing to enter into the university, my daughters and myself have agreed to support him. If he does well as we pray he does, he would assist the family. Maybe this is the way God wants it. That is why I asked them to look for you so that I can personally offer my apology, but also to support you, so that God helping you, you can overcome the pain of widowhood”, he said.
“As a single mother I want to see how I can help you to train your children and God can use any of them to become a leader of our country. Please resist the temptation to do anything that would break the law. The law is the law; it is no respecter of persons. If Government does not enforce the law there would be confusion”, he remarked.
The Governor who gave the woman a cash gift of N2 million said “in addition to working with the War Against Indiscipline, I am also giving you the sum of two million naira so that you can hire a shop, trade inside the shop and not roadside and I pray that God will bless your decision on how you utilize the money. This money is not for you to share or distribute but to help you as a working capital”.
Responding, the widow, Mrs Joy Ifijeh thanked the Governor for the gesture and promised that she would be part of the fight to keep the City clean.
She apologized to the Governor for blocking the road with her wares, saying she recognized that what she did was wrong but she did not know that the Governor was on inspection that day.
According to her, she had been a victim of theft by a truck pusher who went away with her goods, a week before her encounter with the Governor, that was why she was on the road with her goods that day as she no longer trusted truck pushers not to do away with her goods.
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