Senator Kingibe Offers Support to Victims of Abuja Market Fire

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hajiya Ireti Heebah Kingibe, has sympathised with traders affected by the fire outbreak that occurred at Kaura Market, Abuja on August 17 at about 10.00p.m.
This was as the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, distributed cash to market women in some markets in her district.

The senator who was in her constituency for a fertiliser empowerment programme aimed at supporting farmers in the district, took the opportunity to visit markets in Kogi Central and provided financial assistance directly to market women.
However, addressing the affected traders and Management of the market, leader of Kingibe’s delegation, John Destiny, explained that they were sent by the senator to sympathise with owners of the affected shops.

He pledged the lawmaker’s commitment towards ensuring the facilitation of necessary support to the victims, explaining that the senator would have come personally but was out of the country on recess and some national assignments.
Destiny, who is the head of  Senator Kingibe’s Constituency Office, thanked God that no life was lost and advised the affected traders to be optimistic of receiving support.

He noted that the government would not hesitate to come to their aid.

He,  however, urged the traders to be more conscious in their use of electrical appliances by turning them off at the close of work each day.

Two of the victims, Mercy Nnamani and Chukwuemeka Nwonyi, explained that the fire started when traders had closed and gone home for the day.

Nwonyi said, “I got a call early Saturday morning that the Kaura Market was on fire. When I got here, I couldn’t believe what I saw; my fully stocked shop had burnt to ashes alongside many others,” Nwonyi said, struggling to control his emotion.

Nnamani said she didn’t know the actual cause of the incident because, according to her, nobody explained what happened.

However , one Joy Gimba, who said her sister lost no fewer than 250 crates of eggs in the inferno, explained that there was no public power supply when they closed on the day of the incident and that the fire started when electricity was restored to the area.

Recounting his losses, another victim and Public Relations Officer of the market, Donatus Ndukwe, said he lost two shops in the incident: a plastic shop and a kitchen utensils shop.

He added that he had just replenished his stock and as such, left with no penny. He said he was contemplating on the way out.

Meanwhile, Akpoti-Uduaghan, has distributed cash to market women in some markets in the district.

The markets she visited according to a statement by her chief press secretary, Arogbonlo Israel, included Ihima Central Market, Oboroke, Bariki Market in Okene, Ogaminana Market in Adavi, and Nyamanyama/Ganaja Market in Ajaokuta where she handed over the cash to the market women.

Akpoti-Uduaghan explained that the cash distribution is intended to alleviate the country’s economic challenges, adding that more markets will be included in the next phase of the initiative.

She reiterated her commitment to bringing more empowerment programmes to the district and ensuring that the people who entrusted her with their mandate continue to receive the best of democratic dividends.