•Mgt sets up committee to investigate cause, urges caution
From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
In a bid to curb avoidable fire disasters in markets across Abia State, Governor Alex Otti has announced the restructuring of all markets in the commercial city of Aba, to enhance their status and operational activities in line with international standards.
This means that many dilapidated structures and built up spaces earlier mapped out as internal access roads, conveniences and parks, in the markets, including Ariaria, Eziukwu, Ahia Ohuru (New market) and Ekeoha Shopping Centre, among others, will be pulled down and their locations returned to the original plan.
From December 2023, about four fire disasters have been recorded in major markets in Aba. They include Asa Nnentu motor parts/general goods market, in Ugwunagbo, along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, the Ngwa Road Market (Ahia Ohuru) in Aba South, Osisioma Industrial Market, Osisioma Ngwa Council Area, as well as one in Ariaria International Market area in Aba North Council.
Otti, while on an unscheduled visit to some of the markets where shops got burnt in Aba recently, reiterated his administration’s position towards restructuring Abia markets into a conducive modern environment for investors, traders and their clients for businesses to grow.
He commiserated with the affected traders but warned them to stop engaging in acts of lawlessness that aid destruction of properties through fire incidents.
He said: “We have come to commiserate with you on the losses suffered due to the fire incident that engulfed the Eziukwu Road market.
“Incessant fire outbreaks in our markets and lack of access roads to bring in fire equipment to quench such incidents, as well as decayed structures in parts of the markets have made it imperative to restructure them in line with modern and acceptable standards. That’s what we have come to inform you.”
In his remark, the chairman of the traders association, Chief Alphonsus Udeigbo, said the fire which began in an upstairs double shop filled with consumer goods, including edibles, inflammable insecticide, brands of toothpastes and brushes, spread to other shops and destroyed large quantities of the materials estimated to cost about N30 million.
Udeigbo was unhappy about how the fire started even as he said there was no electricity supply in the locked up shops while people stayed away from their businesses for the day in observation of the now discarded Monday sit-at-home.
It was gathered that members of the market leadership were on the verge of holding their first meeting of the year, when shouts of “fire, fire” erupted from security men manning the area and on reaching the location, got confronted with the already spiraling inferno empowered by the inflammation goods in the shops.
“The incident caught us unawares, but we did all we could alongside men of the Aba Fire Service station to put out the fire.
“The market was locked, since the day (Monday) was observed as sit-at-home and traders were not around. We had to set up a seven-man committee to investigate what really happened, how it started in order to forestall a reoccurrence,” he said.
Adding his voice, the public relations officer of the association, Chukwuma Alutu, said goods worth over N30 million were destroyed in the inferno, which he claimed to have been spiritually induced.
“I believe it was the handiwork of enemies who may have been unhappy with the progress being recorded in the market in recent times,” he said.
Some traders who spoke to our correspondent about incessant fire incidents in Aba markets leading to loss of goods worth billions of naira, blamed it on irresponsible building of structures on mapped out access roads, parks and conveniences by politicians brought in be previous governments to manage them.
The traders who refused to give out their names, called on government to restructure them.