…As Senator Ndume Donates N10m
By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri
Apparently worried about the fire disaster which last Sunday razed the popular Maiduguri Monday market and consumed goods worth billions of naira and about 13,000 shops, the Borno State government, under the leadership of Governor Babagana Zulum, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Culture, has solicited for the support from all media organizations and working journalists to embark on peace building that would douse the tension of victims and the general public.
This become imperative, in order to counter some mischevious information trending on some social media platforms aimed at inciting victims and the good people of the state.
The meeting is coming at a time when the senator representing Borno South in the Natıonal Assembly, Senator Ali Ndume, on Friday paid a sympathy visit to the victims and the leaders of the various traders and associations in the market, where he presented a cheque of N10 million as his widow’s mite to cushion the immediate economic hardship faced by the victims.
Addressing the media executives at the Conference Hall of the ministry, Musa Usman Secretariat in Maiduguri, the Commissioner for Information, Mujaheed Babakura Jato, sympathized with the victims and the people of Borno over the sad incident, and appreciated the roles the media played in reporting the fire incident.
He said that media practitioners in the state have been working professionally in reporting the over a decade Boko Haram crisis, and urged them to assist in their media contents by dishing out messages that would enlighten the victims and make understand what befell them as an act of God Almighty.
The commissioner recalled that since the fire incident, Governor Zulum has so far approved the sum of N2 billion to cushion the immediate hardship of the victims and to commence reconstruction of the entire market structure, as government awaits reports/findings from the committee.
He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for finding time to pay sympathy visit to the victims last Thursday, and his directive to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, through the North East Development Commission, NEDC, to support the victims with thousands of bags of rice, maize and other condiments.
Jato also commended the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, the Chairman of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Kashim Imam and the All Progressives Congress, APC, at the national level, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, who donated the sum of N100 million each to the victims.
The commissioner said, “Gentlemen colleagues I called you because your medium is very credible and reliable, unlike what we read on the social media. Therefore on behalf of the Borno State government and the victims of the Monday Market fire incident, I want to solicit for the support from all media organizations and working journalists to embark on peace building that would douse the tension of victims and the general public.
“This is very important in order to counter some mischevious information trending on some social media platforms aimed at inciting victims and the good people of the state.”
Responding, the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr. Inusa Ndahi, General Manager Peace FM, Hajiya Fati Abba Yusuf and other heads of media organizations such of NTA, BRTV, Kanem FM, among others, sympathized with the victims and the people of Borno State over the incident, and pledged to continue to do their best as part of their social responsibility towards peace building in the state.
…Senator Ndume Donates N10m
Meanwhile, the senator representing Borno South senatorial district, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, has donated the sum of N10 million to the victims of the Maiduguri Monday Market fire disaster where goods worth billions of naira was lost to fire last Sunday morning.
Ndume made the donation on Friday when he led the people of Borno South to sympathise with the management of Monday Market and the traders whose goods were lost to the fire.
Ndume, during the sympathy visit, described the fire incident as an act of God and called on well meaning individuals to come to the aid of the traders at this trying moment.
Receiving the donation, the Chairman of Monday Market, Barr. Mustapha Loskori, thanked the senator and the people of Borno South for the sympathy visit.
