Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River has donated N10 million to traders whose stores were gutted by fire in the Bogobiri area of Calabar.

The governor made the donation when he visited the scene of the incident on Monday in the company of his deputy, Peter Odey and Elvert Ayambem, speaker of the state assembly.

“For today, we will immediately make the sum of N10 million available, and then we will quickly help erect these stores back,” Mr Otu said.

He said as a government, they were sad about the losses recorded in the inferno.

The palm oil segment of the Hausa/Fulani community in Bogobiri was gutted by fire on June 16, leaving many in a state of shock.

Mr Otu said only those who knew the area before the fire would understand the level of carnage that had been done at the scene, which was a centre of trade for the Hausa community.

“For those who have lost almost all they have, I will say so long as there is life, there is hope, and this must not discourage you in any way; things will happen, but your resilience determines it all.

“The new government is trying to put structures in place, and in no distant time, I believe that we will start functioning at the optimum level that is expected,” he stated.

Earlier, Garba Lawal, leader of the community, expressed happiness that the governor was at the scene to feel the devastating effects on the traders and occupants of the area.

Mr Lawal, who informed that the incident occurred when the entire community was engaged in congregational prayers at the mosque, said the cause of the fire remained unknown.

He applauded the firefighters in the state, affirming that if not for them, the carnage would have been worse. 

(NAN)