Shettima heads federal delegation to Kano as FG pledges aid and orders probe into recurring Singer Market fires.
President Bola Tinubu has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead a high-powered Federal Government delegation to Kano to commiserate with victims of the Singer Market fire disaster.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the delegation will depart Abuja on Monday to convey the President’s condolences to traders who reportedly lost billions of naira in the weekend inferno.
The fire, which began on Saturday evening and continued into Sunday morning, caused extensive damage at the market and marks the second such incident within two weeks.
The delegation will also pledge financial assistance on behalf of the Federal Government to support affected traders and assist the Kano State Government in facilitating the swift reopening of the market.
Members of the delegation include Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin; Senator Kawu Ismaila; and Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Rep. Abubakar Kabir Bichi.
Also on the team are the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Bernard M. Doro, and the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs. Zubaida Umar.
President Tinubu had earlier spoken by telephone with Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, expressing sympathy to the traders and residents affected by the incident.
Alarmed by the recurrence of fires at the market, the President has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the repeated outbreaks, directing that necessary measures be taken to prevent further incidents.