News Editor
By David Odama
Properties worth millions of Naira have been lost in the night raging inferno that razed a section of Lafia New Market.
The inferno was reported to have started at about 10:00pm, causing panic as sympathisers raced to provide emergency support.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire was triggered by generator explosion in an effort to refuel while it was working, adding that the quick rescue effort of firefighters contained the fire from spreading to other sections of the market.
The affected section of the market which was largely occupied by tailors and the market incinerator was consumed to ashes and wreckage.
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, who visited the scene of the fire outbreak, said government would provide humanitarian assistance to victims of the inferno.
Governor Sule said measures will be taken to avert future recurrence, noting that findings will be made to ascertain the root cause of the inferno.
He commended the firefighters, residents and commuters for putting off the tragic inferno, asserting that their efforts limited the extent of the damage.
Speaking, Commissioner for Special Duties, Humanitarian Service and NGOs, Princess Margaret Elayo, pledged to ensure that there was accountability and transparency in the allocation of the aid to be given by the state government.
Elayo implored the marketers to cooperate with her ministry in providing actionable information to hasten the support delivery, explaining that so far it was gathered that about sixty shops and stalls had been affected.
She restated her ministry’s commitment to working with various organizations to put smiles on the faces of the affected traders, expressing sympathy to the victims.
Our correspondent reports that a textile trader, Huzaifah Yunus Osegwela, called on government to put adequate mechanisms in place that would avert a recurrence in the market, alleging that “service fee” was paid to the market authorities for security, maintenance and other essential utilities with nothing to write home about.
He claimed that several attempts were made to ensure a better trading atmosphere in the market, however, failed due to the lackadaisical attitude of some market authorities and officials of government, pleading that Governor Sule should look into the issue with a view to ensuring sanity.
Responding, Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment, Abubakar Zanwa, said government is up to the task in providing solutions to the state of being in the market.
On the proliferation of illegal stalls in the market which has overstretched the capacity of the market with slim-sized access roads, Zanwa said Lafia needs more neighbourhood markets to accommodate the growing number of traders in the metropolis for a better economic haven.
Director-General of the Nasarawa State Market Management Bureau, Dr. Yakubu Ubangari, appreciated the Governor for the “unwavering gesture of supporting the victims that are affected by the inferno”, adding that serious action will be taken to address complexities in the market.
