Senate probes Kano Market fire, seeks redesign to avert future disasters
The Senate on Tuesday directed its committee on interior to investigate both the immediate and remote causes of the devastating fire outbreak at Singer Market in Kano State that destroyed
The Senate on Tuesday directed its committee on interior to investigate both the immediate and remote causes of the devastating fire outbreak at Singer Market in Kano State that destroyed shops and goods valued at billions of naira.
The committee, chaired by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, was given four weeks to submit its findings to the upper chamber.
The Senate also urged the management of the market to undertake a comprehensive redesign of its layout and structures to reduce vulnerability to future fire incidents.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion moved by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, and co-sponsored by Senators Kawu Samaila and Rufai Hanga.
While commending President Bola Tinubu for approving a N5billion donation to support the victims, and the Progressive Governors’ Forum for its N3 billion contribution, the Senate called on the Federal Government, through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to urgently assess the scale of destruction and provide relief to affected traders.
The Senate further tasked NEMA with conducting search and rescue operations to locate seven traders reportedly missing after the inferno.
It also urged the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development to design a soft loan scheme to help victims rebuild their businesses, while mandating the Federal Fire Service to carry out a nationwide audit of fire safety compliance in major markets across the country.
Leading the debate, Senator Barau said the fire incident resulted in losses estimated at over N100 billion, affecting more than 1,000 businesses, mostly small and medium-scale enterprises.
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He said, “Preliminary reports indicate that the market, which plays a vital role in regional commerce, suffered extensive damage partly due to delayed emergency response. Many of the traders do not have insurance coverage, thereby compounding their problem.”
Barau added that seven people were still unaccounted for after the incident.
Contributing, Senator Aliyu Wadada urged the Senate to move beyond sympathy and address the root causes of the recurring fires.
He asked, “What is the root of all this? Where is it coming from? Because this particular market was ablaze two to three weeks ago, we need to know what the matter is. We need to get to the root of this; otherwise, God forbid, it will be an experience we will continue to experience.”
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio appealed to Nigerians to support the victims.
He said, “I appeal to well-meaning Nigerians to assist the victims to get back on their feet. We pray also that the next design of the market will help us avert this kind of issue from happening again in the future.”
