From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The Federal Government has sympathised with shop owners at Next Cash and Carry Supermarket over the fire incident that razed the facility on Sunday leading to the loss of goods and property worth billions of naira.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, who stated this, yesterday, aid she had directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to help in rescue operations to salvage some of the items from the inferno.
The minister in a statement by her Special Adviser on Media, Nneka Ikem Anibeze, decried the rising incidences of fire disasters in the country and called for caution to avoid future occurrences.
“This is a sad occurrence happening on a day of celebration. It is most unfortunate for those who lost their goods and livelihood at this critical time. This is the harmattan season and prone to a lot of sparks and fire disasters. We urge shop owners, traders and market dwellers to be more vigilant and endeavour to switch off all appliances before leaving their shops and market and to report any suspicious movements to security operatives. The fire in Next Cash and Carry is very unfortunate and we pray that this does not happen again.”
