Wike pledges N500 million to victims of Sokoto market fire

Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State Rivers has pledged five hundred million naira as support for the rebuilding of the Sokoto Central market fire.

The market was ravaged by fire on Tuesday morning, destroying property worth billions of naira.

Wike who visited Sokoto on Wednesday, said part of the money, is also intended to support the victims of the inferno. He said he was shocked and disturbed when he learnt about the fire.

He affirmed that whatever affects Sokoto State also affects Rivers. According to him, his administration will do all it takes to ensure that the affected market is reconstructed and becomes functional.

Wike worried that a situation where the means of livelihood of the people of Sokoto state, the drive of the government to improve the people’s lives and a broad spectrum of socio-economic wellbeing of many people will be affected does not augur well for development and progress.

Also Read: Five killed in renewed communal clash in Akwa Ibom

Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal while showing Wike the extent of the damage, explained that the gutted market has 16,000 shops out of which “at least 60 per cent were affected by the fire.”

Tambuwal said when the fire broke out the entire state government apparatus and some from the federal government were mobilized to control it.

Gov. Wike also condoled the state government, the Sultanate Council and the people of Sokoto State over the death of the late Commissioner for Home Affairs, Hon. Abdulkadir Jeli Abubakar, who was also the younger brother of the Sultan.

Sultan Abubakar expressed gratitude to Gov. Wike for his visit and support to the state and applauded the host governor, Gov. Tambuwal for his prudent management of the resources of the state, a performance which fetched it a World Bank grant under the State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability And Sustainability (SFTAS) program.

Turning to Gov. Wike, the Sultan said he is also an excellent achiever who is still executing superb projects which have earned him the title of Mr Project.