The federal government on Monday donated N5 billion as an intervention fund for the traders affected by the blaze that razed large sections of the popular Singer Market in Kano.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima announced the donation when he led the federal government’s delegation to condole with the traders at the market on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Shettima, who sympathised with the traders, prayed to Almighty God to prevent the recurrence of fire disasters in the market. The vice-president also formally received Governor Abba Yusuf into the APC fold on behalf of the president.

Mr Shettima reiterated Mr Tinubu’s assurance that the governor’s place in the governing party was second to none. He stated that the governor’s decision to join the governing party had strengthened the collective resolve of the Tinubu administration and the party to build a more inclusive and prosperous nation.

Mr Shettima described 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”.

The vice-president acknowledged Kano’s contributions to Nigeria, which he said “stretched 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,” Mr Shettima explained. “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.”

Mr Shettima sympathised with the Kano governor over the blaze at the Singer Market, assuring that the government at the centre would work collaboratively with the state “to ensure that support is extended to all those affected.

(NAN)