Vice President Kashim Shettima will on Monday lead a high-powered Federal Government delegation to Kano State to sympathise with victims of the Singa Market fire disaster and assure them of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support.
In a Sunday statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu asked VP Shettima to pledge financial assistance to aid the victims and support the Kano government in facilitating the quick reopening of the market.
The inferno occurred on Saturday, just a few days before the commencement of Ramadan, destroying goods and property estimated to be worth billions of naira.
According to the statement, the delegation is scheduled to depart Abuja on Monday.
The statement reads, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead a high-powered Federal Government delegation to Kano to express sympathy and support for victims of the Singer Market fire disaster.
“The delegation, scheduled to depart Abuja tomorrow, will convey President Tinubu’s condolences to the traders who lost billions of Naira in the weekend fire that engulfed the market, marking the second incident in just two weeks.”
The statement added, “The delegation will also pledge, on behalf of the government, financial assistance to aid the victims and support Kano State in facilitating the quick reopening of the market.”
Members of the delegation include the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin; Senator Kawu Ismaila; and Rep. Abubakar Kabir Bichi, Chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriation Committee.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Bernard M. Doro and Mrs Zubaida Umar, the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), are also part of the team.
President Tinubu, who earlier spoke by telephone with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, expressed his condolences to the traders and the people of Kano State over the devastating fire outbreak.
The statement also revealed that the President was informed that the latest incident occurred less than two weeks after a previous fire destroyed dozens of shops and property at the same market.
He has directed a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the recurrent market fires, which continue to leave traders in despair.
