By Shuaibu Usman
Goods worth millions of Naira have been lost in the Monday fire outbreak that razed some shops and stalls at the Akwanga Neighbourhood Market.
The inferno was reported to have started earlier in the day, raising apprehension as sympathisers raced to provide emergency support.
Visiting the market on Wednesday, the Permanent Secretary of the Nasarawa State Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment, Khadijah Nuhu Oshafu who led government delegation said government would provide humanitarian assistance to victims of the inferno, sympathising with the market community for the tragedy.
Oshafu said measures would be taken to avert future recurrence, noting that findings would be made to ascertain the root cause of the inferno.
The Permanent Secretary commended the firefighters, residents and commuters for working hard to put off the tragic inferno, asserting that their efforts limited the extent of the damage.
Speaking to Nasarawa Newsline, Director-General of Nasarawa State Market Management Bureau, Dr. Yakubu Ubangari pledged to ensure that there was accountability and transparency in the allocation of the aid to be given by the state government.
He implored marketers to cooperate in providing actionable information to hasten the support delivery, explaining that so far, it was gathered that about twelve shops and two residences were affected in the inferno.
He restated commitment to working with various organizations to put smiles on the faces of the affected traders, expressing sympathy to the victims.
Some of the victims interviewed appreciated the Governor Abdullahi Sule for sending the delegation to sympathise with them, commending him for the “unwavering gesture”.
The delegation included the representative of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, Humanitarian Service and NGOs, Directors of the Ministry and from the Nasarawa State Market Management Bureau among others.