Buhari also commiserated with the government and people of the state on the unfortunate incident.
According to a statement signed Thursday by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari visited the market, still smouldering five days after, with 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 statement is titled ‘President Buhari tours ruins of Maiduguri Monday Market As FG donates relief items to victims.’
In the wee hours of Sunday, February 26, 2023, fire razed goods worth billions of naira at the Monday Market in Maiduguri town, Borno, northeast Nigeria.
Although the cause of the fire was not immediately known, eyewitnesses said it started between 2:30 am and 3:00 am.
The PUNCH reported that shop owners were seen scampering to salvage whatever goods they could lay their hands on from their burning shops even as fire service on his visit personnel struggled to contain the inferno.
During his visit, Buhari was also at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi, to register his profound condolences to indigenes of the state.
“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,” Buhari revealed.
On her part, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, told the President she was still assessing the level of damage.
“After the assessment, the Ministry will submit a full report to Mr President to seek special intervention,” she said.
In the meantime, however, the Federal Government has released 20,000 bags of rice, 20,000 bags of maize and condiments as immediate relief materials to the victims of the fire incident.
She pledged that the Ministry would collaborate with the Borno State Government to provide materials to rebuild the market.
Zulum said 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,” Zulum said.
The chairman of the Market Association, Awaji Bukar, thanked the President for the visit, appealing for more support from the Federal Government.
Earlier at the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Buhari revealed that he was also in the state to unveil projects executed by the Zulum-led administration.
“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 insecurity 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,’’ the President wrote in the Visitor’s notebook.
The Shehu of Borno thanked Buhari for overseeing the return of peace and normalcy to the state.
Lauding the improved security situation in the state, El-Kanemi said, “no single local government area in the state is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists.”
The monarch added, “When you came in, we had more than two million Internally Displaced Persons, 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. 17 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.”
