President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday inspected the ruins of Maiduguri Monday Market, destroyed by fire recently, commiserating with the government and people of Borno on the unfortunate incident.
The president was also at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar El-Kanemi, to register his profound condolences to the victims who lost property and means of livelihood in the disaster.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman, who confirmed this in a statement, said the president also visited the market, still smouldering five days after.
The president was accompanied by Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, 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 Farouq, told the president that assessment on the level of damage is still ongoing.
She announced that the Federal Government had 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 the ministry, in collaboration with the Borno Government, would provide building materials to reconstruct the market.
“After the assessment, the Ministry will submit a full report to Mr President to seek special intervention,” she said.
Zulum said the market, which was built in the 1970s, with no fewer than 20,000 beneficiaries was completely destroyed by the fire.
He acknowledged the support by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
The governor revealed that the state government had provided an immediate support of N1 billion.
“Even the N1 billion, if the traders share N50,000 each, I do not think that will be enough for them,” he said.
The Chairman of the Market Association, Alhaji Awaji Bukar, expressed deep appreciation to the president for the visit, appealing for more support from the federal government.
Earlier at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Buhari said he was also in the state to inaugurate projects executed by the Zulum-led administration.
“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 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 at the palace.
The Shehu of Borno thanked Buhari for overseeing the return of peace and normalcy to the state.
While lauding the improved security situation in the tate, the traditional ruler declared that “no single local government area in the state is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists”.
He said the president had successfully carried out his mission in office and that as far as Borno 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.
He enumerated 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,” the Shehu, whom also the Chairman of the state council of chiefs, said. (NAN)
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