Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has expressed his sympathy for the traders at Owode Market, Offa, whose shops were destroyed in a fire on Tuesday morning.
The governor’s stance was outlined in a release by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaiye, on Tuesday.
The release stated, “Kwara State Governor, AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq, extends his sincere condolences to the people of Offa, particularly the business community, concerning the unfortunate fire incident at the well-known Owode market.
“The governor remarks that the occurrence was one tragedy too many, and mentions that a team from the state emergency management agency has already visited the market to assess the situation and convey the government’s sympathies to the traders.”
He mentioned that the fire incident once again emphasized the importance of all stakeholders being more proactive in preventing such incidents at home or in the marketplace.
While praising the fire service for their swift response, AbdulRazaq instructed the service to collaborate more closely with traders on modern fire prevention methods and readiness.
It should be noted that 50 shops with goods valued at about N360 million were destroyed by fire at the market.
The fire incident was said to have been caused by a cigarette, carelessly dropped by a smoker, which ignited the fire.
