Sufuyan Ojeifo
7 November 2008
Abuja — The Senate will, next week, visit the three markets in the commercial city of Kano that were recently gutted by fire.
The markets are Kurmi, Singer and Abubakar Rimi.
The Senate will engage the traders to see the extent of the devastation and try to ascertain the level of their losses against the backdrop of reports that about N1 billion might have been lost to the fire.
The resolution to visit the burnt markets was consequent upon a motion by the Deputy Senate Minority Whip, Senator Kabiru Gaya (ANPP, Kano South).
The Senate plans to take advantage of its retreat in Kano, which begins Monday, next week, to embark on a visit to the burnt facilities.
Gaya said that multi-million naira worth of goods were lost to the fire by traders in the markets.
According to him, "The occurrence of this fire incident had decapitated citizens of Kano who have large shops with commodities ranging from textile, agro-chemicals, drugs, perfumes, shoes, provisions etc to physical cash."
He stated that the fire destroyed food items and expressed concern that this could precipitate food crisis in the State.
Contributing to the debate on the motion, Senator Bode Olajumoke (PDP, Ondo North) said that there was need for traders in major markets in the country to take up insurance policy to minimize their losses in circumstances such as this.
Olajumoke stated, "Apart from visiting the market when we get to Kano, we should also advise traders to take up insurance.
"It is important that as representatives of the people, we should take it up to talk to market traders to consider insurance."
Gaya had also urged the Senate to urge quick intervention by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to relieve victims of the fire disaster.
But Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi West) warned that NEMA might not be able to intervene until next year.According to him, "NEMA may not be able to do anything until next year because the agency, like several others, is yet to receive its fourth quota allocation."
However, Senate President, Senator David Mark, said that NEMA was supposed to have a reserve well stocked to provide relief materials to the victims.
Mark disagreed with Adeyemi that NEMA could only act until it has received its fourth quarter allocation"It is not until when they receive allocation that they buy materials," he stated.
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