Fire disasters, especially during the harmattan, have become yearly occurrences. No part of the country has been spared of the calamities, leaving in their trail huge economic losses. The rainy season has ebbed and another cycle of harmattan is gradually setting in. Traders across the country must be getting worried about the yearly phenomenon which many have accepted as a fait accompli. This should not be so.
As we stated in our editorial (10/11/2019) on huge losses to market infernos, were Nigerian traders used to insuring their goods against fire, many insurance companies would have been bleeding profusely by now, given the frequency with which infernos have been wreaking havoc on markets nationwide in recent years.
Instances of major market infernos leading to losses in billions of naira abound. Some of them are worth recalling: The sprawling Kanti Kwari Market in Kano was visited by fire in March, 2010. The midnight conflagration left in its trail a disaster of monumental magnitude. Billions of naira worth of goods and cash got consumed. The tragedy left one trader dead while struggling to retrieve about N30 million cash from his shop.
A few of days after the Kanti Kwari inferno, a similar incident occurred at the Damboa Market in Damboa local government area of Borno state where over 1,000 shops were razed down. The chairman of the Damboa Market Association, Malam Gana Alhaji Uba, blamed the inferno on the mysterious tree in the market that emitted the fire.
On September 16, 2019, the popular Katako Market in Jos North local government area was gutted by midnight fire, resulting in heavy losses to traders in goods and cash running into millions. Three months later, a report came from Ogun state that no fewer than 300 structures were incinerated in the Kara Cattle Market, while thousands of residents were rendered homeless by the fire. The inferno was reported to have started around 2pm after a resident tried to refuel a working generator, spreading to nearby makeshift structures, covering about three acres of land, propelled by the harmattan wind.
On February 23, 2023, the bustling Maiduguri Monday Market went up in flames, reducing goods worth billions of naira to ashes. The nation was yet to come to terms with the Maiduguri catastrophe when another disaster occurred a couple of days later at the Dei-Dei Furniture Market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). According to the market officials, goods valued at over N300 million were destroyed.
Other markets that have suffered the same fate in recent times included the popular Akesan Market in Oyo town where goods worth billions of naira were lost. The incident which occurred in January, 2020, took a dramatic twist when angry youths turned against men of the fire service, accusing them of incompetence following their inability to combat the raging inferno. Three protesters were allegedly shot dead in a bid to put down the protest and several others were injured.
Coming on the heels of the Akesan Market fire disaster was another midnight inferno that engulfed the Iyaganku Furniture Market in Ibadan, Oyo state, in which goods valued at over N500 million were consumed.
Granted that some of the disasters are caused by factors beyond human control, most of the markets are constructed haphazardly. Shops and sheds are clustered , leaving no room for fire-fighting engines to access every nook and cranny of the markets in case an emergency occurs.
It is also obvious that market officials pay no serious attention to the safety of the goods of their members. There ought to be private security guards on constant patrol of the markets after closing hours so that any outbreak can be quickly detected and nipped in the bud. The rampancy of the incidents during the harmattan period is also blameable on security guards who are believed to be careless with fire to keep themselves warm. In some cases, thieves deliberately set markets ablaze with the intention to loot.
Power surge is another cause. Owing to epileptic power supply, most traders own individual generating sets to run their businesses. The prevalence of these petrol-laden alternative power sources has also contributed to the fuelling of conflagration whenever disaster occurs. For instance, the Kara Cattle Market inferno was caused by a generator fire.
However, most of these unfortunate tragedies could have been avoided if the markets were designed to conform to modern safety standards. Poor accessibility to fire-fighting equipment often hinders intervention during emergencies. Oftentimes, the entrances to the markets are narrow and clogged with traders, making them a firefighter’s nightmare.
Installation of fire extinguishers and fire alarm systems in strategic parts of the markets are desirable to nip such disasters in the bud. Also, as a matter of routine, security guards should be patrolling the markets after the close of business. This will ensure that any brewing disaster is stopped in its tracks.
Appropriate authorities across the country should take a harder look at the various markets with a view to restructuring and/or modernising them. It is the only way to save these traders from themselves and the losses that are preventable.