By Chuks Eke
Barely 24 hours after goods worth millions of naira were destroyed by early Monday fire disaster that gutted about 600 shops in a plaza at Kano Street close to Onitsha main market, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has deployed some caterpillars to clear the debris.
The caterpillars, according to the Chairman of Onitsha Main Market Traders Union, OMMATU, Innocent Ezeoha, are already on standby at Onitsha North Local Government Secretariat, GRA, Onitsha waiting for instructions.
Ezeoha who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday on phone, said Soludo instructed that the traders should first and foremost take their unburnt goods and inventory of the burnt ones before the caterpillars would move to work.
Ezeoha appealed to the state government to assist the traders in the provision of functional fire fighting equipment to be stationed at the Onitsha Main market premises in case of any fire outbreak, the inferno could be managed before the arrival of men of the state fire service.
He commended the Deputy Governor. Onyekachukwu Ibezim for his timely visit and visit the the scene on Monday during the inferno as he was on hand to dish out instructions to the authorities concerned on how to ameliorate the situation.
The inferno had sparked off at about 1 a.m. early Monday at a plaza in Kano Street beside the main market was yet to be completely put off by men of the state fire service as at 3.30 p.m., even as large quantities of baby wears, women hair attachments, sacramentals and other items had already been engulfed.
As at 4 p.m., owners of the plaza shops were seen staring at the fire and remained in shock as they watch their goods being razed down by the inferno, particularly each time water finished at the fire fighting vehicle.
In the same vein, Soludo has called on traders and business people to insure their businesses against emergencies.
The governor also urged the traders to have fire extinguishers in their shops for sake of emergency outbreak of fire.
In a press signed by his press secretary, Christian Aburime and made available to newsmen yesterday, Soludo noted that with their insurance cover on every trader and their goods and fire extinguisher in every shop, losses would no longer be incurred at random.
“If it means every trader at Main Market to have fire extinguishers in their shops, we will put it as a law and enforce compliance. An immediate emergency training must be conducted”, Soludo said.
“How many traders have insurance? I have always asked this question. Insurance helps to cushion effect of this nature.
“This is the kind of structure we want to lay and we will get there.
“We will expose you to all these insights because this is what the government have come to do,” the Governor stated.
He however regretted that such unfortunate fire mishap has sadly become an annual occurrence in the State and expressed optimism that such will not reoccur, especially during the festive season.
The Governor pointed out the existence of illegal structures in the market which usually lead to lack of emergency exits.
Some of the market people observed that the State fire Service at the Main Market is not functional and pleaded with the State Government to come to their aid.
