Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq has commiserated with the victims of the Onitsha Ochanja market fuel tanker fire disaster and assured them of federal government support.
Umar-Farouq who visited the scene of the fire incidents, told the traders she was pained at the level of destruction at the market by the inferno. She said: “I’m here on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari to offer our condolences both to your governor and the entire people of the state. I’ve directed the National Emergency Management Agency and the State Emergency Management Agency to assess the extent of the damage and report back to the president. I’ve directed the SEMA to make available relief materials including food and non food items to the affected population of the market.”
She assured that the ministry would work closely with the state to see how we can prevent further recurrence. A joint committee made up of Federal and State governments to come later to assess the level of damage with a view to forestall future incidents of fire outbreaks. The Chief of Staff to the state government, Chief Primus Odili who took the minister round affected areas commended the swift response of the Federal government to the disaster, requested for fire trucks from Federal government to help combat such incidences in future.
Responding, the Chairman of one of the affected plazas in the market, Ndubuisi Onuoha, thanked the minister for coming and urged her to ensure that promised made the federal would come to fruition and get to the victims.