The Senate on Tuesday raised alarm over the devastating fire that destroyed Singer Market in Kano, a major commercial hub in Northern Nigeria, and called for an urgent investigation into its cause.
At an emergency sitting, lawmakers directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately provide relief materials to affected traders.
Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who raised the matter, said the inferno destroyed property worth over N100 billion and crippled more than 1,000 businesses, mostly small and medium-scale enterprises vital to the local economy. He added that seven persons remain missing, deepening the anguish of traders and their families.
Jibrin attributed the scale of destruction to faulty firefighting infrastructure, weak emergency response systems and lack of modern safety mechanisms.
Supporting the motion, Sen. Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) highlighted the market’s importance to regional and international trade. He commended President Bola Tinubu and APC governors from the North for donating N8 billion to assist victims, with the president contributing N5 billion and the governors N3 billion.
Other lawmakers, including Sen. Ireti Kingibe, Sen. Diket Plang and Sen. Ahmed Wadada, called for concrete measures to ease victims’ suffering and a thorough investigation, noting that the market had experienced a similar fire weeks earlier.
In its resolutions, the Senate mandated NEMA to assess the damage, provide relief materials and work with security agencies to locate the seven missing persons. It also directed the Federal Fire Service to audit safety compliance, enforce maintenance regulations and establish functional fire stations in the area.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, expressed hope that the donations would support recovery efforts and prayed for the victims of the tragedy.
