NEMA warns against Fire during harmattan..... not responsible for compensation

NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
ABUJA

PRESS RELEASE

NEMA Warns Against Fire during Harmattan
… Not Responsible for Compensation

The rampant fire outbreaks across the country especially in the Northern part of Nigeria have been attributed to lack of public consciousness on the harmattan period which is the peak of dry season with extremely dry dusty wind that blows from the Sahara toward the western coast of Africa, especially between November and March.

The Director General of National Emergency Management Agency, AVM Mohammed Audu-Bida (Rtd) disclosed that Harmattan period is associated with dry season with attendant strong winds that further can easily ignite and blow any inflammable at unpredictable pace.

Within a week, NEMA officials inspected two major markets that caught fire after it had sent warning signals on likelihood of fire outbreak during the harmattan seasons last month. Th recent markets that caught fire are the popular Gasua Central Market in Yobe State and Sabon Gari Market in Kano State where billions of Naira in goods and properties were lost.

Audu-Bida added that, the agency has continued to send precautionary warnings to all tiers of government to sensitize their people on preventive measure to avert fire outbreak through practical demonstration and public enlightenment on fire fighting techniques as measures for preventing and mitigating frequent fire outbreak and its effects on the people.

More fire outbreaks may be recorded, especially in congested markets if the public are not conscious of preventive techniques and without provisions of adequate fire-fighting kits in strategic places to manage such incidences.

No Compensation to Victims only through Insurance
The agency also added that it is not responsible for payment of compensations over fire disasters but it provides immediate succour and relief in term of injury and sufferings to the victims.

He regretted that as much as the agency has been calling on market owners and traders to insure their goods and properties through a flexible insurance policy, the service were ignored by the traders. Such insurance covers apart from being investment schemes would have ensured adequate sustenance and protection of businesses against any form of disaster. According to him “The agency had consulted with insurance firms to provide flexible insurance cover for goods and business premises at affordable rates, but most businessmen, especially traders ignored our warnings and services that would have afforded them the opportunity to recoup their losses in case of such disaster. “

The Director General said that NEMA is not responsible for compensations but can provide immediate relief material to alleviate their sufferings. He therefore advised traders to embrace the option of insurance to enable optimum recovery of their business. The scheme we introduced entails the payment of small premium while the goods will be insured against the disaster taking place which would allow the trader recoup his losses in full.” He added


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