Traders Count Losses as Okowa Visits Burnt Ogbeogonogo Market

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has commiserated with victims of the fire incident that gutted a section of the popular Ogbeogonogo Modern Market in Asaba metropolis yesterday.

Traders were still wailing about their huge losses when the governor visited the market to ascertain the extent of the damage caused by the morning fire, promising that the state government will look into ways of assisting the traders who were affected by the fire to get back to their businesses.

The cause of the fire at the market located on the ever-busy Nnebisi Road, which is the biggest market in the state capital, could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report, but no life was reportedly lost in the infeno.

The fire, which reportedly started at about 7a.m., consumed a section of the market, including the livestock and tailoring materials sections.

Chickens, goats and other livestock were roasted while sewing machines, tailoring items and other goods worth millions of naira, were lost to the raging fire on a day the market is officially closed on account of the COVID-19.

Attention of members of the public was drawn the burning section of the market following social media posts of videos and pictures of the huge flames billowing from the market, a situation that apparently attracted sympathisers and fire fighters to the scene, even as drivers made detours from the Ogbeogonogo Market area.

However, before the fire incident, there was a pending three-month order from the state government, through the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency, for the traders to vacate the ill-fated portion and secure vacant spaces inside the main market.

However, the Director-General of the agency, Mrs. Amaechi Mrakpor, was said to be one of the early callers while the fire was still raging, sympathising with affected traders.