Nigeria’s burning markets
Burning
markets are a regular feature of Nigerian life. In April the Ogbe-Ijoh
market
in Warri caught fire. A month before then it was Kano’s textile market.
In
February it was the timber market in Ebute-Metta, Lagos. Ibadan’s
Tejuoso
market lost about 60 shops to a fire incident in December 2009, a few
months
after the Eke Market in Afikpo, Ebonyi State. December 2007 saw the
total
destruction of Lagos’ popular Tejuoso market.
markets are a regular feature of Nigerian life. In April the Ogbe-Ijoh
market
in Warri caught fire. A month before then it was Kano’s textile market.
In
February it was the timber market in Ebute-Metta, Lagos. Ibadan’s
Tejuoso
market lost about 60 shops to a fire incident in December 2009, a few
months
after the Eke Market in Afikpo, Ebonyi State. December 2007 saw the
total
destruction of Lagos’ popular Tejuoso market.
And then only last
Saturday it was the turn of the Oja-Oba market in Akure,
Ondo State, resulting in the loss of millions of naira worth of
merchandise.
Saturday it was the turn of the Oja-Oba market in Akure,
Ondo State, resulting in the loss of millions of naira worth of
merchandise.
The epidemic of market fires in this country needs to be
tackled urgently
through comprehensive reform on the following fronts: fire prevention
and fighting,
physical planning, and insurance and compensation.
tackled urgently
through comprehensive reform on the following fronts: fire prevention
and fighting,
physical planning, and insurance and compensation.
Regarding
prevention, arguably the biggest culprit is the power company, PHCN.
Current fluctuations (surges) are a daily fixture in many parts of the
country.
Mostly all they succeed in doing is damage electrical appliances. On
occasion
they result in fires. When these fires break out in a market in the
dead of
night, the result is inevitable – infernos certain to cause
considerable
damage.
prevention, arguably the biggest culprit is the power company, PHCN.
Current fluctuations (surges) are a daily fixture in many parts of the
country.
Mostly all they succeed in doing is damage electrical appliances. On
occasion
they result in fires. When these fires break out in a market in the
dead of
night, the result is inevitable – infernos certain to cause
considerable
damage.
In other cases it is arson. It is indeed the case that most
market fire
incidents in Nigeria are accompanied by acts of looting. There is
therefore an
urgent need for government authorities in conjunction with market
associations
to step up security in markets across the country.
market fire
incidents in Nigeria are accompanied by acts of looting. There is
therefore an
urgent need for government authorities in conjunction with market
associations
to step up security in markets across the country.
Another major
culprit is our moribund fire service. Grossly underfunded and
under-equipped, they are often no more than spectators at scenes of
fire
incidents across the country. The blame for this state of affairs
should be
laid squarely at the feet of a government that sees nothing wrong in
allocating
N 2 billion only, to the Fire Service for an entire year (2010), while
devoting
more than four times that sum to the 50th independence anniversary
celebrations.
culprit is our moribund fire service. Grossly underfunded and
under-equipped, they are often no more than spectators at scenes of
fire
incidents across the country. The blame for this state of affairs
should be
laid squarely at the feet of a government that sees nothing wrong in
allocating
N 2 billion only, to the Fire Service for an entire year (2010), while
devoting
more than four times that sum to the 50th independence anniversary
celebrations.
Regarding physical planning, anyone who has spent time in
any of Nigeria’s
markets will realise that they are disasters waiting to happen. The
same
planlessness that characterises much of the cityscape is to be found in
these
markets. Regarding the Tejuoso market fire, Nigerian architect A. S.
Alabi, in
a conference paper delivered in 2004, remarked, “one of the prime
complaints of
fire fighters and shop owners was their inability to access the origins
of the
fire. This was attributed to poor walkways, no driveways, cluttered
spaces and
general inaccessibility within the market… Over the years, the need
for growth,
expansion, controls, and monitoring were neglected. Parking spaces have
been
turned into shops as well. As if this is not enough, even the main
street
(Tejuosho Road) is an extension of the market itself…” In one word:
chaos.
any of Nigeria’s
markets will realise that they are disasters waiting to happen. The
same
planlessness that characterises much of the cityscape is to be found in
these
markets. Regarding the Tejuoso market fire, Nigerian architect A. S.
Alabi, in
a conference paper delivered in 2004, remarked, “one of the prime
complaints of
fire fighters and shop owners was their inability to access the origins
of the
fire. This was attributed to poor walkways, no driveways, cluttered
spaces and
general inaccessibility within the market… Over the years, the need
for growth,
expansion, controls, and monitoring were neglected. Parking spaces have
been
turned into shops as well. As if this is not enough, even the main
street
(Tejuosho Road) is an extension of the market itself…” In one word:
chaos.
Last but not least, there is the need for governments to realise
the importance
of these markets in the socio-economic configuration of Nigerian life,
and make
every effort to ensure that everything possible is done – through
compensation
– to minimize the losses suffered. There should also be comprehensive
insurance
schemes in place to cover these markets.
the importance
of these markets in the socio-economic configuration of Nigerian life,
and make
every effort to ensure that everything possible is done – through
compensation
– to minimize the losses suffered. There should also be comprehensive
insurance
schemes in place to cover these markets.
The problem with Nigeria is
often too much talk and too little action. In
October 2009 the President Goodluck Jonathan, then Vice President,
declared open
the nation’s first Fire Conference in Abuja, with the theme “Providing
Road Map
Towards Effective Fire Service Delivery in Nigeria: Vision 2020”. The
conference was organised by the House of Representatives Committee on
Interior
in collaboration with the Fire Disaster Prevention and Safety Awareness
Association of Nigeria, and the Federal Fire Service.
often too much talk and too little action. In
October 2009 the President Goodluck Jonathan, then Vice President,
declared open
the nation’s first Fire Conference in Abuja, with the theme “Providing
Road Map
Towards Effective Fire Service Delivery in Nigeria: Vision 2020”. The
conference was organised by the House of Representatives Committee on
Interior
in collaboration with the Fire Disaster Prevention and Safety Awareness
Association of Nigeria, and the Federal Fire Service.
But despite all
the talk, Nigeria still doesn’t have a functioning fire code, a
decade into the 21st century. The Fire (Precaution and Control) Bill,
passed in
2005 by the House of Representatives, and then sent to the Senate in
2007 for
passage, is not yet in operation.
the talk, Nigeria still doesn’t have a functioning fire code, a
decade into the 21st century. The Fire (Precaution and Control) Bill,
passed in
2005 by the House of Representatives, and then sent to the Senate in
2007 for
passage, is not yet in operation.
Fire after fire, we do not act in a
manner that shows that any lessons have
been learnt. Until radical steps are taken across all levels of
government,
burning markets in Nigeria will continue to be a matter of “where next – and
when?”
manner that shows that any lessons have
been learnt. Until radical steps are taken across all levels of
government,
burning markets in Nigeria will continue to be a matter of “where next – and
when?”
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