The chairman of the Gwagwalada Market Traders Association, Aminu Bakinruwa, has appealed to the Gwagwalada Area Council to support the association’s efforts to prevent fire outbreaks in markets.

Mr Bakinruwa made the appeal on Tuesday in Gwagwalada.

He said the association had taken proactive steps to improve fire safety by engaging the National Fire Service in the Kwali Area Council to sensitise traders to fire prevention and emergency response.

According to him, officers of the Fire Service visited the market after discussions with the association and trained traders on fire safety practices.

“They advised us to acquire fire extinguishers and other firefighting equipment, while also educating traders on emergency response measures,” he said.

Mr Bakinruwa said the market had several gates that could serve as emergency exits for traders and customers during emergencies.

He said that designated assembly points had also been identified within the market in line with the Fire Service’s recommendations.

He further said that the association had established a fire safety committee to promote awareness and monitor areas considered vulnerable to fire outbreaks.

“There are certain blocks where we pay closer attention because of the nature of activities carried out there.

“We continue to monitor these areas and educate traders on safety measures. We also have a dedicated committee responsible for fire safety awareness.

“They regularly inspect electrical connections and advise traders on safer practices within the market,” he said.

The chairman urged traders to acquire basic firefighting equipment for their shops, stressing that emergencies could occur without warning.

Also speaking, a member of the market’s fire safety committee, Favour Philip, attributed most fire incidents in the market to unsafe electrical connections and poor wiring practices.

Ms Philip, who recalled losing property in a fire incident in the market in 2025, said the committee was committed to ensuring that similar incidents were prevented.

“It is not an experience anyone should go through, and I am still recovering from my losses,” she said.

She said that committee members routinely inspected electrical installations and advised traders to remove unsafe connections whenever they were identified.

“We have also resolved to discourage careless electricity connections that cause wires to touch one another,” she said.

Ms Philip said the market currently relied on the Fire Service office in Kwali for emergency response.

She said that officers trained traders on basic firefighting techniques and the proper use of different types of fire extinguishers.

In a survey, some traders argued that because their shops were not connected to electricity, there was no need to acquire firefighting equipment.

One of them, Matthew Afolabi, said though emergency preparedness was important, he had not seen any reason to buy a fire extinguisher since his shop had no electricity supply.

“My shop is not connected to electricity, and I am not planning to connect it,” he said.

Another trader, Ihuoma Onyejekwu, said she kept a fire extinguisher in her shop to contain small fires before they spread.

According to her, the value of the goods in her shop exceeds the cost of purchasing a fire extinguisher, making it a worthwhile investment.

She warned that the absence of firefighting equipment could endanger lives and property during emergencies and called for fire extinguishers to be installed at strategic locations within the market.

Ms Onyejekwu also stressed the importance of training traders on the proper use of firefighting equipment, noting that simply providing the equipment without adequate knowledge would not be sufficient.

Stakeholders also called on the government to provide a standby firefighting vehicle to enable quicker response to fire outbreaks in the market.

(NAN)