Senate President commiserates with victims of Sabon Gari market fire

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has commiserated with the victims of Saturday's fire disaster that destroyed the popular Abubakar Rimi market in Sabon Gari, Kano.

Saraki’s condolences are contained in a statement released by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja on Sunday, March 27,2016.

The senate president expressed regret over the increasing rate of fire disasters in markets across the country.

He urged the management of markets across the country to always employ modern means of preventing and combating fire disasters to ensure that traders are not subjected to harrowing loss.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the popular Sabon-Gari market in Kano, was destroyed by fire in the early hours of Saturday, with goods and properties worth millions of naira burnt down.

"The continuous loss of merchandise and properties in many commodity markets in the country, and Kano in particular, to fire disasters has reached a worrisome level that requires urgent measures to combat the trend.

"These fire incidents have deprived our hard working and determined traders the means of livelihood and survival and these traders are expectedly breadwinners of their families.

"In addition, these losses represent the depletion of national wealth as most of the victims constitute a significant chunk of the entrepreneurial class, who are supposedly great contributors to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

"This is most unfortunate to the economy of Kano State, more so, coming after the destruction of the Kurmi market, the oldest market in Kano by fire, and the recent inferno at the furniture section of the Abubakar Rimi market

"The Senate is pained by the loss, and I seize this opportunity to underscore the need for adequate preventive measures against fire disasters in our markets.

"All markets in the country must be built with the plans to prevent outbreak of fire and equipped with fire-fighting equipment.

"Also, market women should be trained in fire preventive measures and drills,” he said.

He urged the state government to carry out thorough investigation into the matter to unravel the cause and to forestall recurrence.