President Muhammadu Buhari today toured the ruins of the Maiduguri Monday Market in Borno State, which was destroyed by fire last week, and commiserated with the government and people of the state.
Buhari also visited the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar El-Kanemi, at his palace where he registered his condolences to indigenes of the state who lost property and means of livelihood in the disaster.
Thereafter the president visited the market, which was still smouldering with fire five days after the incident. He was accompanied by Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, members of the Federal Executive Council and some eminent citizens of the state.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, who was also in the entourage, told the president that assessment on the level of damage was still ongoing.
She announced that the Federal Government has provided immediate relief materials to the victims of the fire incident, including 20,000 bags of rice, 20,000 bags of maize, and condiments.
The minister pledged that her ministry, in collaboration with the Borno State government, would provide building materials to rebuild the market.
She said: “After the assessment, the ministry will submit a full report to Mr President to seek special intervention.”
Zulum, in his remarks, disclosed that the market, which was built in the 1970s, with no fewer than 20,000 beneficiaries, was completely destroyed by the fire.
Acknowledging the support by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, he said his government has provided an immediate support of N1 billion.
Zulum said: “Even the N1 billion, if the traders share N50,000 each, I do not think that will be enough for them.”
The Chairman of the Market Association, Awaji Bukar, expressed deep appreciation to President Buhari for the visit and appealed for more support from the Federal Government.
Earlier at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, President Buhari said he was also in the state to commission projects executed by the Zulum administration.
He said: “I am delighted to be here with the Shehu and the good people of Borno State, to commiserate with you on the unfortunate Monday Market fire incident.
“I’m pleased to be back to commission projects and be part of the unstoppable development drive of this great state.
“I’m equally happy that the state continues to strive for the normalisation of its affairs following the enormous successes achieved in tackling the problem of security that had reached worrying heights in the past.
“I’d like to put on record my deep and sincere appreciation of the love and support of the people of Borno State. I don’t take this for granted.
“May Allah increase His blessings upon the Shehu and his people. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’’ he wrote in the Visitor’s notebook.
The Shehu of Borno thanked the president for overseeing the return of peace and normalcy to the state.
Lauding the improved security situation in the state, El-Kanemi declared that “no single local government area in the state is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists.”
He said the president has successfully carried out his mission in office and that as far as Borno State is concerned, he had done far more than anyone had expected.
He expressed their appreciation to the president for his sympathies following the devastating fire that consumed the entire Monday Market and went on state the blessings of the Buhari administration in its eight years of office to the state.
“When you came in, we had more than two million Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs mostly women and children roaming the streets in Maiduguri. We had no power for two years; we had no GSM. We had no outgoing roads except that to Kano. Boko Haram had taken over the other roads.
“We had no airport as the one here was damaged and therefore no commercial flights. Seventeen of the 27 local government councils were under Boko Haram. Today, no single local government area is under their control.
”You changed everything by transferring the Command-and-Control Centre of the anti- terrorism war to this place. We thank you for standing with us in our trying times. Together, we remain with you, in or out of office.”
