By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
The Federal Capital Territory Emergency Management Agency has taken a fire fight crusade to address causes of market fires to the Kugbo Furniture Market located along the Nyanya axis on Abuja Keffi road.
Director General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss yesterday while declaring the open the joint assessment, inspection and sensitization programme at the Kugbo market, said that the mission was to unravel the causes of the yearly fire incidents at the market and proffer solutions.
The DG who was represented by the Acting Director, Forecasting Response and Mitigation, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, decried the absence of fire hydrant and inadequate fire fighting equipment at the market.
The DG further added that the programme would also inspect sources of power supply to the market and electrical connections.
He urged all traders in the market to cooperate with the Agency by equipping the market with fire defense gadgets.
Also speaking at the event, the Area Commander, FCT Fire Service, Mr. Gringory Eze. who traced the yearly market fire incidents to power surge, pointed that a single transformer cannot serve this market as they use heavy equipment with high voltage.
He also condemned the indiscriminate electrical wiring within the market, noting that it was capable of igniting a spark.
Chairman Kugbo Building Materials Association, Mr Iheanacho Afamefuna said that the market was usually gutted by fire every January but with efforts this year’s incident was quickly contained before it escalated.
Afamefuna said that the market management had reached out to FEMA last year for sensitization on tackling fires at the market.
Also blaming fire outbreaks in the market on electric spark, he appealed to the FCDA to provide adequate infrastructure at the market.
” We have fire extinguishers, but we need water tanker, road, we want government presence in the market , Afamefuna appealed
Representatives of the Federal Fire Service and the National Emergency Management Agency attended the programme.
Highlight of the event was a fire drill to sensitize traders on how to use fire defense equipment.
