By Awwal Umar Kontagora Kebbi State Governor, Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris (Kauran Gwandu), has sympathised with timber merchants aff...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
Kebbi State Governor, Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris (Kauran Gwandu), has sympathised with timber merchants affected by an early morning fire that gutted a section of the timber market in the Bayan-Kara area of Birnin Kebbi.
The governor, represented by his deputy, Senator Umar Abubakar Tafida, visited the scene of the incident on Saturday and described the fire as a tragic and unfortunate event.
He urged the victims to accept the incident as the will of God and assured them of the government's support.
“On behalf of the state government, we are donating N10 million as an interim relief to help you recover part of your losses,” he said. “This administration, under Comrade Dr. Nasir Idris, is fully committed to supporting affected traders in restarting their businesses after a full assessment of the damage.”
Chairman of the Timber Marketers Association, Bello Dan-Sambo, expressed gratitude to the governor for the prompt response and the financial assistance. He described the gesture as a great relief to those affected.
Preliminary assessments indicate that nine timber traders were directly affected by the blaze, with estimated losses amounting to N191.7 million in timber and other materials.
The state government delegation included the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Hon. Yakubu Ahmed Birnin Kebbi; Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Hon. Muhammed Dangi Juli; and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Abubakar Muhammad.
An eyewitness attributed the fire to an electrical spark that occurred following a power restoration by the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) early Saturday morning.
“At about 5 a.m., we noticed flames from one shop which quickly spread to others, consuming hundreds of timber and plywood pieces both inside and outside the market,” the witness said.
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