Singer Market fire: FG, APC govs donate N8bn to Kano traders

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

THE Federal Government has approved the sum of N5 billion as intervention fund for traders affected by the fire outbreak that razed large sections of the popular Singer Market in Kano.

This is just as state governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF, also donated N3 billion to victims of the inferno, totalling N8 billion to provide relief to hundreds of affected traders.

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who announced the donations on Monday when he led a delegation to condole with traders at the market on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, sympathised with the traders, praying Almighty God to prevent future occurrences of fire disasters in the market.

Senator Shettima also formally received Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State and his teeming supporters into the APC fold on behalf of the President.

Speaking during the grand reception to welcome Governor Yusuf to the APC at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, the Vice President reiterated President Tinubu’s assurance that the governor’s place in the governing party was second to none.

He noted that the governor’s decision to join the governing party has strengthened the collective resolve of the Tinubu administration and the party to build a more inclusive and prosperous nation.

“Your Excellency, we have watched the transformation that Kano has undergone under your leadership. We have seen a commitment to people-centred governance and a respect for the mandate of history. Today, we are proud to welcome you aboard the All Progressives Congress train.

“We welcome you with open hands and open hearts. His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made it abundantly clear that your place in this party is second to none and that your presence strengthens our collective resolve to build a more inclusive and prosperous Nigeria,” the VP stated.

Describing Kano as “an eloquent expression of Nigeria’s cosmopolitan soul” and a state that “welcomes every Nigerian, absorbs every accent, accommodates every ambition, and turns diversity into destiny,” VP Shettima acknowledged the state’s contributions to Nigeria, which he said “stretch far beyond the arithmetic of elections.

“In commerce, Kano has been the heartbeat of enterprise and trade. In scholarship, it has produced minds that interrogate power and redefine ideas. In politics, in culture, in faith, in industry, Kano has consistently offered Nigeria more than it has ever demanded in return. This is a state whose influence transcends geography and whose legacy outgrows any single political moment,” he maintained.

The Vice President recalled that Kano had gifted Nigeria “towering figures who reshaped” the nation’s “political philosophy and moral imagination,” citing prominent politicians like the late Alhaji Maitama Sule and Alhaji Aminu Kano as examples.

Welcoming Governor Yusuf to the APC, Senator Shettima described the governor as “another visionary son of Kano,” observing that the governor and his supporters are on “a political journey that speaks to the future of Nigeria.

“His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, may be a man of few words, but his principles speak loudly. They speak in the language of conviction. They speak in the language of discipline. They speak in the language of service. They speak in a tone that cannot be doubted because they are anchored in consistency and guided by purpose,” he stated.

On behalf of the Federal Government, the VP sympathised with Governor Yusuf over the fire outbreak at Singer Market, assuring that the government at the centre will work collaboratively with the state “to ensure that support is extended to all those affected and that recovery efforts are swift and effective.”

Also, Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, noted that with the governor’s defection to the APC, Kano was now in the mainstream of Nigerian politics and will benefit more from the government at the centre.

“What this means is that Kano will begin to benefit more from the national government. We will have more infrastructure and healthcare delivery as well as all other facets of development. When you (Governor Yusuf) complete your eight years, Kano will become an Eldorado,” he said.

On his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abbas, said the coming of Governor Yusuf into the APC was very important and strategic for the party.

“Kano is the powerhouse of our democracy, and today, Allah has made it possible for the governor to move and this will be the beginning of the coming of so many good things to Kano. The future of Kano will be brighter under him,” the Speaker assured.

For his part, APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said the Governor has made the right move by joining the APC, and the state is set to reap the benefits of the decision.

He praised the infrastructural development witnessed by the state under the governor, assuring that the party will support him to do more for the State.

Prof Yilwatda handed over the symbolic APC flag to the Governor and some federal legislators who also decamped to the APC

Also, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, described Governor Yusuf as an original breed of the APC who “only went on sabbatical and has returned home.”

Uzodinma urged supporters and local government chairmen in the state to work hard to ensure victory for APC, saying President Tinubu is happy with the political development in Kano.

Thanking Vice President and the APC entourage for the grand reception, Governor Yusuf said his official entry into the APC was a very important occasion and a defining moment for the state, noting that “the reason for politics should always be to serve the people.”

The governor said he decided to join the APC family in order to deliver results for the people of Kano, adding that all the decisions he has taken as a governor were guided by the need to better the lot of the people.

Explaining why he dumped the NNPP, Governor Yusuf said his former party was not providing the cohesion and stability required for the development of the state.

“Kano is too large and too important to be disconnected from the government at the centre,” he added, even as he pledged his support and loyalty to President Bola Tinubu.

Also, former National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, noted that Governor Yusuf’s defection has not only increased the numerical strength of the APC in Kano State but also consolidated the position of the party in the state.

“This move of the governor is a compound of party followers that will continue to think, act, plan and move together to ensure an all-around development of Kano State,” he said.

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