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Gbajabiamila commiserates with Abuja vendors, pledges to train deceased’s children
By Modupe Shodeinde
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila met with Vendors in Abuja to condole with them over the death of their colleague, Ifeanyi Okereke, who died from a bullet fired by one of the security aides attached to his convoy.
The Speaker who expressed his grief on the incident, promised that justice would prevail.
He said the security operative responsible for the shooting had been handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) and that they were investigating the shooting and its circumstances.
“Let me address you not as the Speaker but as Femi Gbajabiamila, a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who has been caught unawares in the middle of this unfortunate incident.
“Many of you that have been following me from the beginning know that championing the cause of the masses has been my life work as a legislator. I have been a champion of the common man.
Therefore, the irony of this is not lost on me and many of us. However, I will continue to do this as long as I live.” he said.
“We all talked about justice, and I assure you we will follow due process. Justice, in whatever form it is, will prevail. That’s what we can do for now.” he added.
Gbajabiamila who had visited the family of the late Ifeanyi at the Kwata area of Madalla-Suleja on Saturday, also pledged his support in caring for the dead vendor’s children and ensuring they are well carted for.
“Those children have now become my children. I have made commitments to the family to train them until they become adults. I have instructed the lawyers in my office to immediately set up a trust fund for them until adulthood.
“The incident has touched me in no small measure and in ways difficult for anyone to understand. I am a man of peace and not violence.” he said.
He invited the leaders of the Abuja Newspapers Distributors Association (ANDA) and the Newspapers Vendors Association in Abuja (NVAA) to a plenary sitting on Tuesday, where he said Ifeanyi would be honoured.
“There’s sitting on Tuesday, and I’m inviting the Executives of the two associations, and maybe some few members, to come over where we will be honouring Ifeanyi. We have a lot of things on Tuesday, but we will honour him.
According to the House spokesman, Benjamin Kalu, the lawmakers would work to make November 19 of every year a “Vendors’ Day.”
