.By Jubrin Hassan,
Minna
Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello of Niger State has donated N20 million to the victims of last Thursday’s fire outbreak that destroyed shops at the Etsu Musa Central Market in, Bida.
The donation of the sum is coming barely a week after the governor visited Bida town to commensurate with the affected traders and the entire people of Bida Emirate council.
The governor appealed to the victims to be peaceful and law-abiding, strssing that no amount of compensation would replace their loss.
His words: “No amount of money could replace what was lost but what we have done as a government is to ameliorate the sufferings of the victims. The donation is to enable them recover from the shock of all that they had laboured for.
“In the mean time, we are donating the sum of N20 million cash to those that were affected by the fire disaster. Niger State Emergency Management Agency, together with a committee that will be set up will carry out investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the fire and to take stock of the losses suffered by the people to ensure that the right people are compensated”.
Describing the fire incidence as very unfortunate, Bello assured that the government would establish a fire service station within the market and also directed NSEMA to provide safety devices to avoid re-occurrence in the proposed new market during emergencies.
The governor, who called on the people to corporate with the committee as they carry out their investigations, also prayed God to replenish them.
The Etsu Nupe and Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, expressed appreciation for the governor’s timely intervention and donation of cash to the victims.
