Senate To Visit Razed Market In Kano

The Senate today unanimously resolved to visit the three markets in Kano city that were recently destroyed in separate fire outbreaks.

It would be recalled that a midnight fire destroyed the Abubakar Rimi Market, Sabon Gari, on Nov. 2, consuming over 400 shops with properties estimated to cost about N500 million.

The fire disaster came on the heels of a similar one that occurred last week at the Singer Market, a popular provisions market in Kano , where about 48 shops were burnt.

Moving a motion under a matter of national importance, Deputy Senate Minority Whip Kabiru Gaya said that traders in the markets lost goods worth millions of naira to the inferno.

The Senate also directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to promptly provide relief materials to the victims of the fire incidents.

In his contribution to the debate, Sen. Bode Olajumoke (PDP-Ondo) urged traders in major markets across the country to insure their shops against such disasters.

He said that aquiring insurance covers for their shops would help to minimise their losses in the event of any incidents such as fire outbreaks.

“Apart from visiting the market, when we get to Kano , we would also advise traders to take up insurance policies,” Olajumoke said.

“It is important that as representatives of the people, we should take it up to talk to market traders to consider getting insurance covers for their business,” he added.

Sen. Smart Adeyemi (PDP-Kogi), however, said that NEMA might not be in a position to provide relief materials to the victims until next year.

“NEMA may not be able to do anything until next year because the agency, like several other agencies, has yet to receive its fourth quarter allocation for this year,” he said.

However, Senate President David Mark said that NEMA was supposed to have enough reserve funds to provide relief to the victims.