President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead a high-powered Federal Government delegation to Kano to sympathise with victims of the Singer Market fire disaster.
The delegation is scheduled to depart Abuja on Monday. It will convey the President’s condolences to traders who reportedly lost billions of naira in the weekend inferno, the second such incident at the market within two weeks.
Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday.
According to him, the delegation will also pledge financial assistance on behalf of the Federal Government. The support is aimed at helping affected traders recover and assisting the Kano State Government in facilitating the swift reopening of the market.
Members of the delegation include the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin; Senator Kawu Ismaila; and Abubakar Kabir Bichi, Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.
Also on the team are the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Bernard Doro, and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Zubaida Umar.
Onanuga noted that President Tinubu had earlier spoken by telephone with Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to express condolences to traders and residents over the devastating fire.
The blaze, which started on Saturday evening and continued into Sunday morning, caused extensive damage at Singer Market, widely described as one of Nigeria’s largest food markets.
The President expressed concern that the latest incident occurred less than two weeks after a previous fire destroyed dozens of shops and properties at the same market.
Tinubu has directed a comprehensive investigation into the recurring market fires. He said the probe should identify the causes and recommend measures to prevent future occurrences.
The repeated incidents have left many traders in distress, with calls growing for improved safety standards and emergency response mechanisms in major markets across the country.
