By Sarah NEGEDU
he reoccurring issues of fire outbreaks at the Kugbo Furniture Market is getting the needed attention, as the Federal Capital Territory Administration has vowed to unravel the causes of the yearly fire incidents at the market.
Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, said the agency will proffer solutions to the perennial fire incidents in markets across the territory.
Declaring open a joint assessment, inspection and sensitization programme at the Kugbo Furniture Market, Idriss decried the absence of fire hydrant and inadequate firefighting equipment at the market.
Represented by the Acting Director, Forecasting Response and Mitigation, Mrs Florence Wenegieme, said the programme would also inspect sources of power supply to the market and electrical connections.
The DG therefore appealed to traders in the market to cooperate with the agency and also equip the market with fire defense gadgets.
Also speaking at the event, the Area Commander of FCT Fire Service, Mr. Gregory Eze, traced the yearly fire incidents to power surge adding that the poor wiring in the market is capable of igniting a spark.
According to him, “The single transformer cannot serve this market as they use heavy equipment with high voltage” He said.
On his part, the chairman, Kugbo Building Materials Association, Mr Iheanacho Afamefuna, revealed that the market was usually gutted by fire every January, noting that 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.
Blaming fire outbreaks in the market on electric spark, Afamefuna appealed to the FCDA to provide adequate infrastructure at the market especially in the provision of infrastructure like water tanker and road network.
Meanwhile, the FEMA boss had earlier urged the Federal Government to expand the scope and operators manning the 112 emergency toll free number to further reduce the response time.
The DG informed that 90percent of distress calls come through the 112 number, noting that this often results in queues and call jams.
He also appealed to the FRSC to enforce the laws on overloading and the wearing of seat belts, adding that these laws are critical as they are meant to reduce casaulities on the roads.
